CIHM 


Series 

(Monographs) 


ICMH 

Collection  de 

microficlies 

(monographles) 


CtmatiM  iiwtitiit*  foe  Historical  MIcroraproductions  /  InstHut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  Mstoriquas 


Technical  and  Wblievrapliic  NotM/NotM  MchniquM  at  bibliographiquM 


Th*  Institute  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  boat 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Peaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographieally  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  msy  significantly  change 
the  uaual  method  of  filming,  are  checicad  below. 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  la  meilleur  axemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  ita  possible  de  se  procurer  Las  details 
de  cet  eMomplaire  qui  sont  peut-^tre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  method*  normale  de  filmege 
aont  indiquAa  ei-dacaoua. 


0 Coloured  covers/ 
Couvartura  da  eoulOMr 

1^  Covera  damafad/ 


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Coloured  pages/ 
da  eoulaur 


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Couvartiira  andommagia 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur*e  et/ou  paliieuMa 

Cover  title  miaaing/ 

La  titre  da  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartas  gAographiquaa  an  eoulaur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Punches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  meterial/ 
Rali*  avac  d'autras  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  eauaa  shadowa  or  diatortien 
along  interior  margin/ 

Lareliura  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  da  la 
distorsion  le  long  do  la  marge  intAriaure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainas  pages  blanches  ajoutees 
lors  d  une  rastauration  apparaissent  dans  la  texte. 
mais.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  cea  peges  n'ont 
paa  *t*  film«aa. 


0Paga8  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagAaa 


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Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagaa  reatauriaa  et/ou  pallieuMes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxt;  :• 
Pages  dteolor«es.  tachatAea  ou  pic  .  t  ,!« 

Pages  detached/ 
Pagaa  ditachaes 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualite  inAgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  material  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc  .  have  been  refilmed  to 
ansL-e  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obacurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  urta  pelure. 
etc..  cnt  ate  filmaes  a  nouveau  da  facon  a 
obtanir  la  maillaura  image  poaaibla. 


0 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commantairaa  supplimantairaa; 


Part  of  pages  17*18  is  missing. 

Une  partie  des  pages  I/'IS  est  manque. 


Thia  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ca  document  est  filmi  au  taux  da  rMuction  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


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2BX 


24X 


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32X 


Ths  copy  WmmI  Imm  Imm  bcMi 
to  tiw  gMMTOtity  of : 


Anglican  Clwrch  of  Cwwdc 
Owwwl  tywed  MMm 


L'Momptoini  ffimi  fut  roproduH  grioo  i  ia 
UMroalt*  d«: 

AngUoin  Church  of  Canada 


The  imagM  appearing  hart  ara  tha  baat  quality 
potaibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibiiity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Itaapbis  wMi  tho 
filming  contract  apacificationa. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  iaat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion.  or  tha  back  eovaf  whan  approprtato.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tho 
firat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
aion,  and  anding  on  tha  iMt  pago  wMi  a  printod 
or  illuatratad  impraaakm. 


Tha  iaat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microflcha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol        (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  aymbol  ▼  (nMoning  "END"), 
wnwiiawr  appiiaa* 

Mapa.  plataa,  charts,  ate.,  may  ba  filmad  at 
dUNiawt  roduetion  ratloa.  Thoaa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  includad  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrama  iUuatrata  tha 
moiiKM: 


Laa  imagaa  suh^antas  ont  4t*  raproduitas  avac  ia 
plua  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  -;ondition  at 
da  ia  nattat4  da  I'axamplaira  filmi,  <jt  an 
conformita  avac  laa  conditiona  du  contrat  da 
fHfiiaga* 

Laa  axamplairas  originaux  dont  ia  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  imprimta  sont  fiimaa  an  commanpant 
par  ia  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  aoit  par  la 
daml>ia  paga  qui  com  porta  una  amprainta 
dimpraaaion  ou  dlNuatration,  aoit  par  la  aacond 
plat,  salon  la  eaa.  Toua  laa  autraa  axamplairaa 
originaux  sont  fiimis  an  comman9ant  par  ia 
pramiara  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  dllluaMtion  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  damMra  paga  qui  aomporta  una  talla 
ampffalfitt* 

Un  das  symbolaa  auivanta  apparaltra  sur  la 
damiira  imaga  da  chaqua  microflcha,  salon  la 
eaa:  la  aymbola       aignifia  "A  8UIVRE",  la 
aymboia  ▼  aignifia  "FIN". 

Laa  cartaa,  ptanchaa,  taMaaux,  ate.,  pauvant  *tra 
Tttmaa  a  oaa  laux  oa  raouction  oiTraranis. 

Lorsqua  la  documant  ast  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  an  un  aaul  clicha,  il  aat  fiimi  A  partir 
da  i'angia  supAriaur  gaucha,  da  gaucha  k  dnttm. 
at  da  haut  an  laaa.  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'taMoaa  narassaira  Laa  dtaarwnmoa  auiwantB 
MuatiaM  la  mathoda* 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

A  RETROSPECT 


BV 


J.  HUDSON  TAYLOR,  ^^.R.(:.S..  KR.C.S. 


Thou  sAaif  remember  all  the  uiiv  whkk  ike  Lord  fky 
God  led  thee. 


FIFTH  EDITION 


THE  CHINA  INLAND  MISSION 
235  SCHOOL  LANE,  (iKRMANTOWN,  PHILADELPHIA,  U.S.A. 
507  CHURCH  STREET,  TORONTO,  CANADA. 


CO NTH NTS 


I.  Tmk  I'owkr  t)p  Travkk   I 

II    'rili:  (.'  \  l  I    IM  Sl,l;  \  h  I.                .        .        .         .  7 

III.   I'KKIAKAl  li'N   Ink  Sl.K\l'l.         .....  IJ 

I\.   FrKTIIER  A.NSWKRS  TO  I'K  WKR           .         .         .         .  I9 

\'.    1,111,   IN    I,I>MM)\            ...                     ...  24 

VI,  Si  RKMil  iiKNKii  iiv  I'Aini   30 

VII,  Mkuity  10  Savk                                             •  i5 

VIII.  VovACK  n)  Ciii.NA    39 

IX.  Ml^^l'iNANN    lAri,MIMI>        ...  45 

X,  l■Ik^l  K\AM;i.i.isrii   Ijimki-.   41) 

XI.  Wini  TMK  Rkv.  \V.  ('.  I!i  K\s  .  57 

XII.  The  Cai.i.  !  ■>  su  a  row   70 

"Til    Mi.-oioii.iiy  Call '■  :  \\  in.U  ami  Mu>ii  .       .  75 

XIII.  Man  I'Roi'osKs,  (;oi)  Di.si'osks   77 

XIV.  I'KOVIIJESTIAI.  GriliANt  K   .         .         .  -92 

XV.  Ski  iT.KMK.s  I'  i\  Xin(;i'<.)   98 

XVI.  TiMKi.v  Sii'1'i.ii.s   105 

XVII,  (Ioi>  A  Rkku<;k  kok  r.s   no 

XVIII.  A  Ni.u  V  M  1  hi  h   .       .  .116 

XIX.   KoKMAllDN  01    IIIK  C.  I.  M   121 

X. X,  The  Mission  in  1906   126 

XXI.  Thr  Mi.ssion  in  Xi>rtii  .\merica    ....  131 

Stations  of  tmk  C.  I.  .M   139 

M.\l'  ol"  CIIIN.V 

Showi.ni;  thk  Siation.s  01  iiii.  Ciiln.v  Inland  Mission; 

CoRRKCTKiJ  TO  January  iyo4  .      .      .        '/i^yuiv/ij^i  139 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


«.  t:»;«mitofJ.  Hudson  Taylor  I-routh^!. 

I.  The    UouiMannim    party    .  ..  ^ 


3.  Honorury  htnner  presented  lo  a  missionary 

4.  A  heavy  road  In  North  China 

5.  Salt  Jnnlc  on  the  Yang'tsi 

6.  Travelling  by  mule  cart  on  "  the  great  plain  ' 

7.  Ch'ung-k  in};,  the  Vang  tsi,  and  mountains  beyond 

8.  Water  gate  and  Custom  House,  Soo-«how 

9.  View  on  the  Kwang-sin  Uiver .... 

10.  Temple  r.ncl  ineiiiori.i!  portal  .... 

11.  "  Compassionate  heart,  benevolent  melhoils  " 

12.  Outside  the  wall  of  Gan  k  ing  .       .       .  . 

13.  The  new  girls'  school  at  Cbefoo 

14.  Entrance  to  the  Po-yang  lake  .... 

15.  A  fair  wind,  at  sunset,  on  the  lake  . 

§6.  A  view  Ml  the  grand  canal  .... 

17.  Down  the  Yang-tsi  on  a  cargo  boat  . 

18.  Easit  TTte  and  sentry  box,  Bhamo,  liiiinuii. 

19.  Farmhouse,  with  buffal  j  sb  1  attached 

20.  A  fishing  village  on  the  lake  near  Viinnan  Fu  . 

21.  Ten;,'-yueh,  the  weNterninost  walled  city  in  China 

22.  A  small  temple  near  VVun-chau 

23.  Group  of  Christians  at  Lan  k'i,  Cheh-kiang  \ 

24.  A  boat  on  the  Red  River,  Tonquin  . 

2-j.  Students'  quarters,  Gan-k'ing  Training  Home  ' 

26.  A  Mandarin's  sedan  chair  .... 

27.  A  presenUtion  banner  (a  mark  of  high  respect) 
a8.  View  on  the  Po-yang  lake  .... 

29.  A  village  on  the  grand  canal  .       ,       .  ' 

30.  The  battlements  of  I'ekin        .        .        .  . 

31.  KIder  Liu  and  wife,  Kwei-k  i  .       .  . 

32.  Native  woodcut  of  a  landscape 


PAUI 


The  hearty  thanks  of  tho  Mission  for  the  usr  of  photographs  and  sketches 
rWf  ''^^', ^'""'S"  thivc,  for  .\os.  4  and  6;  Dr 
G  \V  hitheld  Guinness  for  Nos.  8.  12,  16.  .^5,  and  28  ;  Miss  Davies 
for  No.  23  ;  Mr.  Thomas  .Selkirk  for  Nos.  1 8  and  21  •  Mr  I  T 
Reidfor  Nos.  r4,  ,5,  and  27;  Mr.  J.  S.  Rough  for  No.  30;  Mr! 
Grainger  for  No  .0  ;  Mr.  K.  Murray  for  No.  13.  ,nd  also  to  otlw 
friends  unknown  by  iianw. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER 

THE  following  account  of  some  of  the  experiences 
which  eventually  led  to  the  formation  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  and  to  its  taking  the  form  in  which  it  has 
been  developed,  first  appeared  in  the  pageo  of  China's 
Millions.  Many  of  those  who  read  it  there  asked  that  it 
might  appear  in  separate  form.  Miss  Ouinness  incorporated 
it  in  the  Story  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  a  record  which 
contained  the  account  of  God's  goodness  to  the  beginning 
of  1894.  But  friends  still  asking  for  it  in  pamphlet  form, 
for  wider  distribution,  this  edition  is  brought  out 

Much  of  the  material  was  taken  from  notes  of  addresses 
given  in  China  during  a  conference  of  our  missionaries; 
this  will  account  for  the  direct  and  narrative  form  of  the 
papers,  which  it  has  not  been  thought  necessary  to  change. 

It  is  always  helpful  to  us  to  fix  our  attention  on  the 
Gor>-ward  aspect  of  Christian  work  ;  to  realise  that  the  work 
of  God  does  not  mean  so  much  man's  work  for  God,  as 
God's  own  work  through  man.  Furthermore,  in  our  privi- 
leged position  of  fellow-workers  with  Him,  while  fully  recog- 
nising all  the  benefits  and  blessings  to  be  bestowed  on  a 
sin-stricken  world  through  the  [)roclamation  of  the  Gospel 
and  spread  of  the  Truth,  we  should  never  lose  sight  of  the 
higher  aspect  of  our  work— that  of  obedience  to  Got),  of 

B 


3 


A  RETROSrECT 


bringing  glory  to  His  Name,  of  gladdening  the  heart  of 
our  God  and  Father  by  living  and  serving  as  His  beloved 
children. 

Many  circumstances  connected  with  my  own  early  life 
and  service  presented  this  aspect  of  work  vividly  to  me; 
and  as  I  think  of  some  of  them,  I  am  reminded  of  how 
much  the  cause  of  missions  is  indebted  to  many  who  are 
never  themselves  permitted  to  see  the  mission  field — 
many,  it  may  be,  who  are  unable  to  give  largely  of  their 
substance,  and  who  will  be  not  a  little  surprised  in  the 
Great  Day  to  see  how  much  the  work  has  been  ad- 
Tanced  by  their  love,  their  sympathy,  and  their  prayers. 

For  myself,  and  for  the  work  that  I  have  been  permitted 
to  do  for  God,  I  owe  an  unspeakable  debt  of  gratitude  to 
my  beloved  and  honoured  parents,  who  have  passed  away 
and  entered  into  rest,  but  the  influence  of  whose  lives  will 
never  pass  away. 

Many  years  ago,  probably  about  1830,  the  heart  of 
my  dear  father,  then  himself  an  earnest  and  successful 
evangelist  at  home,  was  deeply  stirred  as  to  the  spiritual 
state  of  China  by  reading  several  books,  and  especially 
an  account  of  the  travels  of  Captain  Basil  Hall.  His 
circumstances  were  such  as  to  preclude  the  hope  of  his 
ever  going  to  China  for  personal  service,  but  he  was  led 
to  pray  that  if  God  should  give  him  a  son,  he  might  be 
called  and  privileged  to  labour  in  the  vast  needy  empire 
which  was  then  apparently  so  sealed  against  the  truth. 
I  was  not  aware  of  this  desire  or  prayer  myself  until  my 
return  to  England,  more  than  seven  years  after  I  had 
sailed  for  China ;  but  it  was  very  interesting  then  to  know 
how  prayer  offered  before  my  birth  had  been  answered  in 
this  matter. 

All  thought  of  my  becoming  a  missionary  was  abandoned 
for  many  years  by  my  dear  parents  on  account  of  the  feeble- 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER 


3 


ness  of  my  health.  When  the  time  came,  however,  GoD 
gave  increased  health,  and  my  life  has  been  spared,  and 

strength  has  been  given  for  not  a  little  toilsome  service 
botli  in  the  mission  field  and  at  liome,  while  many  stronger 
men  and  women  have  succumbed. 

I  had  many  opportunities  in  early  years  of  learning 
the  value  of  prayer  and  of  the  Word  of  God;  for  it 
was  the  delight  of  my  dear  parents  to  point  out  that  if 
there  were  any  such  Being  as  God,  to  trust  Him,  to  obey 
Him,  and  to  be  fully  given  up  to  His  service,  must  of 
necessity  be  the  best  and  wisest  course  both  for  myself 
and  others.  But  in  spite  of  these  helpful  examples  and 
precepts  my  heart  was  unchanged.  Often  I  had  tried  to 
make  myself  a  Christian;  and  failing  of  course  in  such 
efforts,  I  began  at  last  to  think  that  for  some  reason  or 
other  I  could  not  be  saved,  and  that  the  best  I  could 
do  was  to  take  my  fill  of  this  world,  as  there  was  no 
hope  for  me  beyond  the  grave. 

While  in  this  state  of  mind  I  came  in  contact  with 
persons  holding  sceptical  and  infidel  views,  and  accepted 
their  teaching,  only  too  thankful  for  some  hope  of  escape 
from  the  doom  which,  if  my  parents  were  right  and  the 
Bible  true,  awaited  the  impenitent  It  may  seem  strange 
to  say  it,  but  I  have  often  felt  thankful  for  the  experience 
of  this  time  of  scepticism.  The  inconsistencies  of  Cliristian 
people,  who  while  professing  to  believe  their  Bibles  were 
yet  content  to  live  just  as  they  would  if  there  were  no 
such  book,  had  been  one  of  the  strongest  arguments 
of  my  sceptical  companions ;  and  I  frequently  felt  at 
that  time,  and  said,  that  if  I  pretended  to  believe  the 
Bible  I  would  at  any  rate  attempt  to  live  by  it,  putting 
it  fairly  to  the  test,  and  if  it  failed  to  prove  true  and  re- 
liable, would  throw  it  overboard  altogetlier.  These  views  1 
reuined  wh*H)  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  bring  me  to 


4 


A  RETROSPECT 


Himself;  and  I  tliink  I  may  say  that  since  then  I  have  put 
God's  Word  to  the  test.  Certainly  it  has  never  failed  me. 
I  have  never  had  reason  to  regret  the  confidence  I  have 
placed  in  its  promises,  or  to  deplore  following  the  guidance 
I  have  found  in  its  directions. 

Let  me  tell  you  how  God  answered  the  prayers  of  my 
dear  mother  and  of  my  beloved  sister,  now  Mrs.  Broomhall, 
for  my  conversion.  On  a  day  which  I  shall  never  forget, 
when  I  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  my  dear  mother 
being  absent  from  home,  I  had  a  holiday,  and  in  the  after- 
noon looked  through  my  father's  library  to  find  some  book 
with  which  to  while  away  the  unoccupied  hours.  Nothing 
attracting  me,  I  turned  over  a  little  basket  of  pamphlets, 
and  selected  from  amongst  them  a  Gospel  tract  which 
looked  interesting,  saying  to  myself,  "There  will  be  a 
story  at  the  commencement,  and  a  sermon  or  moral  at  the 
close :  I  will  take  the  former  and  leave  the  latter  for  those 
who  like  it." 

I  sat  down  to  read  the  little  book  in  an  utterly  uncon- 
cerned state  of  mind,  believing  ir.deed  at  the  time  that  if 
there  were  any  salvation  it  was  not  for  me,  and  with  a  dis- 
tinct intention  to  put  away  the  tract  as  soon  as  it  should 
seem  prosy.  I  may  say  that  it  was  not  uncommon  in 
those  days  to  call  conversion  "  becoming  serious " ;  and 
judging  by  the  faces  of  some  of  its  professors,  it  appeared 
to  be  a  very  serious  matter  indeed.  Would  it  not  be  well 
if  the  people  of  God  had  always  tell-tale  faces,  evincing 
the  blessings  and  gladness  of  salvation  so  clearly  that 
unconverted  people  might  have  to  call  conversion  "  becom- 
ing joyful "  instead  of  "  becoming  serious  "  ? 

Little  did  I  know  at  the  time  wliat  was  going  on  in 
the  heart  of  my  dear  mother,  seventy  or  eighty  miles  away. 
She  rose  from  the  dinner- table  that  afternoon  with  an 
intense  yearning  for  the  convmion  of  her  boy,  and  feeling 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER 


5 


that — absent  from  home,  and  having  more  leisure  than  she 
could  otherwise  secure — a  special  opportunity  was  afforded 
her  of  pleading  with  God  on  my  behalf.  She  went  to 
her  room  and  turned  the  key  in  the  door,  resolved  not 
to  leave  that  spot  until  her  prayers  were  answered.  Hour 
after  hour  did  that  dear  mother  plead  for  me,  until  at 
length  she  could  pray  no  longer,  but  was  constrained  to 
praise  God  for  that  which  His  Spirit  taught  her  had 
akeady  been  accomplished — the  conversion  of  her  only  son, 
I  in  the  meantime  had  been  led  in  the  way  I  have 
mentioned  to  take  up  this  little  tract,  and  while  reading 
it  was  struck  with  the  sentence,  "The  finished  work  of 
Christ."  The  thought  passed  through  my  mind,  "Why 
does  the  author  use  this  expression?  why  not  say  the 
atoning  or  propitiatory  work  of  Christ?  "  Immediately  the 
words  "  It  Is  finished  "  suggested  themselves  lo  my  mind. 
What  was  finished  ?  And  I  at  once  replied,  "  A  full  and 
perfect  atonement  and  satisfaction  for  sin :  the  debt  was 
paid  by  the  Substitute ;  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 
Then  came  the  thought,  "  If  the  whole  work  was  finished 
and  the  whole  debt  paid,  what  is  there  left  for  me  to 
do?"  And  with  this  dawned  the  joyful  conviction,  as 
light  was  flashed  uito  my  soul  by  the  Holy  Spiuit,  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  world  to  be  done  but  to  fall 
down  on  one's  knees,  and  accepting  this  Saviour  and 
His  salvation,  to  praise  Him  for  evermore.  Thus  while 
my  dear  mother  was  praising  God  on  her  knees  in  her 
chamber,  I  was  praising  Him  in  che  old  warehouse  to 
which  I  had  gone  alone  to  read  at  my  leisure  this  little 
book. 

Several  days  elapsed  ere  I  ventured  to  make  my  beloved 
sister  the  rmfidante  of  my  joy,  and  then  only  after  she 
had  promiseJ  not  to  tell  any  one  of  my  soul  secret 


6 


A  RETROSPECT 


When  our  dear  mother  came  home  a  fortni^lit  later,  I  was 
the  first  to  meet  her  at  the  door,  and  to  tell  her  I  had 
such  glad  news  to  give.  I  can  almost  feel  that  dear 
mother's  arms  around  my  neck,  as  she  pressed  me  to  her 
bosom  and  said,  "  I  know,  my  boy ;  I  have  been  rejoicing 
for  a  fortnight  in  the  glad  tidings  you  have  to  tell  me." 
"Why,"  I  asked  in  surprise,  "has  Amelia  broken  her 
promise?  She  said  she  would  tell  no  one."  My  dear 
mother  assured  me  that  it  was  not  from  any  human 
source  that  she  had  learned  the  tidings,  and  went  on 
to  tell  the  little  incident  mentioned  above.  You  will 
agree  with  me  that  it  would  be  strange  indeed  if  I  were 
not  a  believer  in  the  power  of  prayer. 

Nor  was  this  all.  Some  little  time  after,  I  picked  up 
a  pocket-boo)  exactly  like  one  of  my  own,  and  thinking 
that  it  was  mine,  opened  it.  The  lines  that  caught  my 
eye  were  an  entry  in  the  little  diary,  which  belonged  to 
my  sister,  to  the  effect  that  she  would  give  herself  daily 
to  prayer  until  God  should  answer  in  the  conversion  of  her 
brother.  Exactly  one  month  later  the  Lord  was  pleased 
to  turn  me  from  darkness  to  light. 

Brought  up  in  such  a  circle  and  saved  under  such 
circumstances,  it  was  perhaps  natural  that  from  the  com- 
mencement of  my  Christian  life  I  was  led  to  feel  that  the 
promises  were  veiy  real,  and  that  prayer  was  in  sober  matter 
of  fact  transacting  business  with  God,  whether  on  one's 
own  behalf  or  on  behalf  of  those  for  whom  one  sought  His 
blessing. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  CALL  TO  SERVICE 

THE  first  joys  ot  conversion  passed  away  after  a  time, 
and  were  succeeded  by  a  period  of  painful  deadness 
of  soul,  with  much  conflict.  But  ihis  also  came  to  an  end, 
leaving  a  deepened  sense  of  personal  weakness  and  depend- 
ence on  the  Lord  as  the  only  Keeper  as  well  as  Saviour 
of  His  people.  How  sweet  to  the  soul,  wearied  and  dis- 
appointed in  its  struggles  with  sin,  is  the  calm  repose  of 
trust  in  the  Shepherd  of  Israel. 

Not  many  months  after  my  conversion,  having  a  leisure 
afternoon,  I  retired  to  my  own  chamber  to  spend  it  largely 
in  communion  with  God.  Well  do  I  remember  that 
occasion.  How  in  the  gladness  of  my  heart  I  poured  out 
my  soul  before  God  ;  and  again  and  again  confessing  my 
grateful  love  to  Him  who  had  done  everything  for  me — 
who  had  saved  me  when  I  had  given  up  all  hope  and  even 
desire  for  salvation — I  bes'  ^ht  Him  to  give  me  some 
work  to  do  for  Him,  as  an  outlet  for  love  and  gratitude ; 
some  self-denying  service,  no  matter  what  it  might  be, 
however  trying  or  however  trivial ;  something  with  which 
He  would  be  pleased,  and  that  I  might  do  for  Him  who 
had  done  so  much  for  me.  Well  do  I  remember,  as  in 
unreserved  consecration  I  put  myself,  my  life,  my  friends, 
my  all,  up(m  the  altar,  the  deep  solemnity  that  came  over 


s 


A  RETROSPECT 


my  soul  with  the  assurance  that  my  offering  was  accepted. 
The  presence  of  God  became  unutterably  real  and  blessed  ; 
and  though  but  a  chfld  under  sixteen,  I  rennember  stretch- 
ing myself  on  the  ground,  and  lying  there  silent  before  Him 
with  unspeakable  awe  and  unspeakable  joy. 

For  what  service  I  was  accepted  I  knew  not ;  but  a 
deep  consciousness  that  I  was  no  longer  my  own  took 
possession  of  me,  which  has  never  since  been  efTaced.  It 
has  been  a  very  practical  consciousness.  Two  or  three 
years  later  propositions  of  an  unusually  favourable  nature 
were  made  to  me  with  regard  to  medical  study,  on  the 
condition  of  my  becoming  apprenticed  to  the  medical  man 
who  was  my  friend  and  teacher.  But  I  felt  I  dared  not 
accept  any  binding  engagement  such  as  was  suggested.  I 
was  not  my  own  to  give  myself  away ;  for  I  knew  not 
when  or  how  He  whose  alone  I  was,  and  for  whose  disposal 
I  felt  I  must  ever  keep  myself  free,  might  call  for  service. 

Within  a  few  months  of  this  time  of  consecration  the 
impression  was  wrought  into  my  soul  that  it  was  in  China 
the  Lord  wanted  me.  It  seemed  to  me  highly  probable 
that  the  work  to  which  I  was  thus  called  might  cost  my  life ; 
for  China  was  not  then  open  as  it  is  now.  But  few  mis- 
sionary societies  had  at  that  time  workers  in  China,  and 
but  few  books  on  the  subject  of  China  missions  were 
accessible  to  me.  I  learned,  however,  that  the  Congre- 
gational minister  of  my  native  town  possessed  a  copy 
of  Medhurst's  China,  and  I  called  upon  him  to  ask  a 
loan  of  the  book.  This  he  kindly  granted,  asking  me 
why  I  wished  to  read  it  I  told  him  that  God  had  called 
me  to  spend  my  life  in  missionary  service  in  that  land. 
"  And  how  do  you  propose  to  go  there  ?  "  he  inquired.  I 
answered  that  I  did  not  at  all  know ;  that  it  seemed  to 
me  probable  that  I  should  need  to  do  as  the  Twelve 
and  the  Seventy  had  done  in  Judaea — ^go  without  purse 


TIIK  CAIX  TO  SERVICE 


9 


or  scrip,  relying  on  Him  who  had  called  me  to  supply 
all  my  need.  Kindly  placing  his  hand  upon  my  thoulder, 
the  minister  replied,  "  Ah,  my  boy,  as  you  grow  older  you 
will  get  wiser  than  that.  Such  an  idea  would  do  very 
well  in  the  days  when  Christ  Himself  was  on  earth,  but 
not  now." 

I  have  grown  older  since  then,  but  n<rt  wiser.  I  am 
more  than  ever  convinced  that  if  we  were  to  take  the 
directions  of  our  Master  and  the  assurances  He  gave  to 
His  first  disciples  more  fully  as  our  guide,  we  should  find 
them  to  be  Just  as  suited  to  our  times  as  to  those  in 
which  they  were  originally  given. 

Medhurst's  book  on  China  emphasised  the  value  of 
medical  missions  there,  and  this  directed  my  attention  to 
medical  studies  as  a  valuable  mode  of  preparation. 

My  beloved  parents  neither  discouraged  nor  encouraged 
my  desire  to  engage  in  missionary  work.  They  advised 
me,  with  such  convictions,  to  use  all  the  means  in  my 
power  to  develop  the  resources  of  body,  mind,  heart,  and 
soul,  and  to  wait  prayerfully  upon  God,  quite  willing, 
should  He  show  me  that  I  was  mistaken,  to  follow  His 
guidance,  or  to  go  forward  if  in  due  time  He  should  open 
the  way  to  missionary  service.  The  importance  of  this 
advice  I  have  often  since  had  occasion  to  prove.  I  began 
to  take  more  exercise  in  the  open  air  to  strengthen  my 
physique.  My  feather  bed  I  had  taken  away,  and  sought 
to  dispense  with  as  many  other  home  comforts  as  I  could, 
in  order  to  prepare  myself  for  rougher  lines  of  life.  I 
began  also  to  do  what  Christian  work  was  in  my  power,  in 
the  way  of  tract  distribution,  Sunday-school  teaching,  and 
visiting  the  poor  and  sick,  as  opportunity  afforded. 

After  a  time  of  preparatory  study  at  home,  I  went  to 
Hull  for  medical  and  surgical  training.  There  I  became 
assistant  to  a  doctor  wlu)  was  connected  with  the  Hull 


to  A  RETROSPECT 

school  of  medicine,  and  was  surgeon  also  to  a  number 
of  factories,  which  brought  many  accident  cases  to  our 
dispensary,  and  gave  me  the  opportunity  of  seeing  and 

practising  the  minor  operations  of  surgery. 

And  here  an  event  took  place  that  I  must  not  omit 
to  mention.  Before  leaving  home  my  attention  was  drawn 
to  the  subject  of  setting  a|)art  the  lirstfiruits  of  all  one's 
increase  and  a  proportionate  part  of  one's  possessions  to 
the  Lord's  service.  I  thought  it  well  to  study  the 
question  with  my  Bible  in  hand  before  I  went  away  from 
home,  and  was  placed  in  ctrcnmstances  which  might  bias 
my  conclusions  by  the  pressui ;  of  surrounding  wants  and 
cares.  I  was  thus  led  to  the  determination  to  set  apart 
not  less  than  one-tenth  of  whatever  moneys  I  might  earn  or 
become  possessed  of  for  the  Lord's  service.  The  salary  1 
received  as  medical  assistant  in  Hull  at  the  time  now 
referred  to  would  have  allowed  me  with  ease  to  do  this. 
But  owing  to  changes  in  the  family  of  my  kind  friend  and 
employer,  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  reside  out  of  doors. 
Comfortable  quarters  were  secured  with  a  relative,  and 
in  addition  to  the  sum  determined  on  as  remuneration 
for  my  services  I  received  the  exact  amount  I  had  to  pay 
for  board  and  lodging. 

Now  arose  in  my  mind  the  question,  Ought  not  this 
sum  also  to  be  tithed?  It  was  surely  a  part  of  my  income, 
and  I  felt  that  if  it  had  been  a  question  of  Government 
income  tax  it  certainly  would  not  have  been  excluded. 
On  the  other  hand,  to  take  a  tithe  from  the  whole  would 
not  leave  me  sufficient  for  other  purposes ;  and  for  some 
little  time  I  was  much  embarrassed  to  know  what  to  do. 
After  much  thought  and  prayer  I  was  led  to  leave  the 
comfortable  quarters  and  happy  circle  in  which  I  was 
now  residing,  and  to  engage  a  little  lodging  in  the 
suburbs — a  sitting-room  and  bedroom  in  one— undo'- 


THE  CALL  TO  SERVICE 


tt 


taking  to  board  myself.  In  this  way  I  was  able  without 
difficulty  to  tithe  the  whole  of  my  income;  and  while  I 
felt  the  change  a  good  deal,  it  was  attended  with  no  tmaU 

blessing. 

More  time  was  given  in  my  solitude  to  the  study  of 
the  Word  of  God,  to  visiting  the  poor,  and  to  evangelistic 
work  on  summer  evenings  than  would  otherwise  have 
been  the  case,  brought  into  contact  in  this  way  with 
many  who  were  in  distress,  1  soon  saw  the  jirivilege  of 
still  further  economising,  and  found  it  not  difficult  to  give 
away  much  more  than  the  proportion  of  my  income  I  had 
at  first  intended. 

About  this  time  a  friend  drew  my  attention  to  the 
question  of  the  personal  and  pre-millennial  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  gave  me  a  list  of  passages 
bearing  upon  it,  without  note  or  comment,  advising  me 
to  ponder  the  subject.    I'or  a  while  I  gave  much  time  to 
studying  the  Scriptures  about  it,  with  the  result  that  I  was 
led  to  see  that  this  same  Jesus  who  left  our  earth  in  His 
resurrection  body  was  so  to  come  again,  that  His  feet 
were  to  stand  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  that  He  was 
to  take  possession  of  the  temporal  throne  of  His  father 
David  which  was  promised  before  His  birth.    I  saw, 
further,  that  all  through  the  New  Testament  the  coming 
of  the  Lord  was  the  great  hope  of  His  people,  and 
was  always  appealed  to  as  the  strongest  motive  for  con- 
secration and  service,  and  as  the  greatest  comfort  in  trial 
and  affliction.     I  learned,  too,  that  the  period  of  His 
return  (at  His  people  was  not  revealed,  and  that  it  was 
their  privilege,  from  day  to  day  and  from  hour  to  hour, 
to  live  as  men  who  wait  for  the  Lord  ;  that  thus  living 
it  was  immaterial,  so  to  speak,  whether  He  should  oi 
should  not  come  at  any  particular  hour,  the  important 
thing  being  to  be  so  ready  for  Him  as  to  be  aWe,  whenevw 


IS 


A  RETROSPECT 


He  might  appear,  to  give  an  account  of  one's  stewardship 
with  ioy,  and  not  with  grte£ 

The  effect  of  this  blessed  hope  was  a  thoroughly 

practif-al  one.  It  led  me  to  look  carefully  through  my 
httle  library  to  see  if  there  were  any  books  there  that 
were  not  needed  or  likely  to  be  of  further  service,  and 
to  examine  my  small  wardrobe,  to  be  qaite  sure  that  it 
contained  nothing  that  I  should  be  sorry  to  give  an  account 
of  should  the  Masjer  come  at  once.  The  result  was 
that  the  library  was  considerably  diminished,  to  the  benefit 
of  some  poor  neighbours,  and  to  the  far  greater  benefit  of 
my  own  soul,  and  that  I  found  I  had  articles  of  clothing 
also  which  might  be  put  to  better  advantage  in  other 
directions. 

It  has  been  very  helpful  to  me  from  time  to  time 
through  life,  as  occasion  has  served,  to  act  again  in  ? 

similar  way  ;  and  I  have  never  gone  through  my  house, 
from  basement  to  attic,  with  tliis  object  in  view,  without 
receiving  a  great  accession  of  spiritual  joy  and  blessing.  I 
believe  we  are  all  in  danger  of  accumulating — it  may  be 

from  thoughtlessness,  or  from  pressure  of  occupation  

things  which  would  be  useful  to  others,  while  not  needed 
by  ourselves,  and  the  retention  of  wliich  entails  loss  of 
blessing.  If  the  whole  resources  of  the  Church  of  God 
were  well  utilised,  how  much  more  might  be  accomplished  I 
How  many  poor  might  be  fed  and  naked  clothed,  and  to 
how  many  of  those  as  yet  unreached  the  Gospel  might  be 
carried  I  Let  me  advise  this  line  of  things  as  a  constant 
habit  of  mind,  and  a  profitable  course  to  be  imu:tically 
adopted  whenevo-  circumstances  permit 


CHAPTER  III 


PREPARATION  FOR  SERVICE 

HAVING  now  the  twofold  object  in  view  of  accustom- 
ing myself  to  endure  hardness,  and  of  economising 
in  order  to  be  able  more  largely  to  assist  those  amongst 
whom  I  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  labouring  in  the  Gospel, 
I  soon  found  tliat  I  could  live  .)on  very  much  less  than  1 
had  previously  thought  possible.  Uuttcr,  milk,  and  other 
such  luxuries  I  soon  ceased  to  use ;  and  I  found  that  by 
living  mainly  on  oatmeal  and  rice,  with  occasional  variations, 
a  very  small  sum  was  sufficient  for  my  needs.  In  this  way 
I  had  more  than  two-thirds  of  my  income  available  for 
other  purposes ;  and  my  experience  'vas  that  the  less  I 
spent  on  myself  and  the  more  1  gave  away,  the  fuller  of 
happiness  and  blessing  did  my  soul  become.  Unspeak- 
able joy  all  the  day  long,  and  every  day,  was  my  happy 
experience.  God,  even  my  God,  was  a  living,  bright 
Reality ;  and  all  I  had  to  do  was  joyful  service. 

It  was  to  me  a  very  grave  matter,  however,  to  contem- 
I^te  going  out  to  China,  far  away  from  all  human  aid, 
there  to  depend  upon  the  living  God  alone  for  protection, 
supplies,  and  help  of  every  kind.  I  felt  that  one's  spiritual 
muscles  required  strengthening  for  such  an  undertaking. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  if  faith  did  not  fail,  God  would 
not  fiul;  but,  then,  what  if  one's  £uth  riiould  (xove  in- 


14 


A  RETROSPECT 


sufficient  ?  I  had  not  at  that  time  learned  that  even  ''  ii 
we  believe  not,  He  abideth  faithful,  He  cannot  deny  Him- 
self"; and  it  was  consequently  a  very  serious  question  to 
my  mind,  not  whether  He  was  faithful,  but  whether  I 
had  strong  enough  faith  to  warrant  my  embarking  in  the 
enterprise  set  before  me. 

I  thought  to  myself,  "  When  1  get  out  to  China,  I  shall 
have  no  claim  on  any  one  for  anything ;  my  only  claim  will 
be  on  God.  How  important,  therefore,  to  learn  before 
leaving  England  to  move  man,  through  God,  by  prayer 
alone." 

At  Hull  my  kind  employer,  always  busily  occupied, 
wished  me  to  remind  him  whenever  my  salary  became 
due.  This  I  determined  not  to  do  directly,  but  to  ask  that 
God  would  bring  the  fact  to  his  recollection,  and  thus  en- 
courage me  by  answering  prayer.  At  one  time,  as  ilie  day 
drew  Dear  for  the  payment  of  a  quarter's  salary,  I  was  as 
usual  much  in  prayer  about  it.  The  time  arrived,  but  my 
kind  friend  made  no  allusion  to  the  matter.  I  continued 
praying,  and  days  passed  on,  but  he  did  not  remember, 
until  at  length,  on  settling  up  my  weekly  accounts  one 
Saturday  night,  I  found  myself  possessed  of  only  a  single 
coin — one  half-crown  piece.  Still  I  had  hitherto  had  no 
lack,  and  I  continued  in  prayer. 

That  Sunday  was  a  very  happy  one.  As  usual  my  heart 
was  full  and  brimming  over  with  blessing.  After  attend- 
ing Divine  service  in  the  morning,  my  afternoons  and 
evenings  were  filled  with  Gospel  work  in  the  various 
'"iging-houses  I  was  accustomed  to  visit  in  the  lowest 
,  rfTt  of  the  town.  At  such  timet  it  almost  seemed  to  me 
as  if  heaven  were  begun  below,  and  that  all  that  could 
be  looked  for  was  an  enlargement  of  one's  capacity  for 
joy,  not  a  truer  filling  than  I  possessed.  After  con- 
cluding my  last  service  about  ten  o'clock  that  night,  a  poot 


I'RKl'AKATION  FOR  SERVICE  15 

man  asked  me  to  go  and  pray  with  his  wife,  saying  that 
she  was  dying.  I  readily  agreed,  and  on  the  way  to  his 
house  asked  him  why  he  had  not  sent  for  the  priest,  as 
his  accent  told  me  he  was  an  Irishman.  He  had  done  so, 
he  said,  but  the  priest  refused  to  come  without  a  payment 
of  eighteenpence,  which  the  man  did  not  possess,  as  the 
family  was  starving.  Immediately  it  occurred  to  my  mind 
that  all  the  money  I  had  in  the  world  was  the  solitary  half- 
crown,  and  that  it  was  in  one  coin ;  moreover,  that  while 
the  basin  of  water  gruel  I  usually  took  for  supper  was 
awaiting  me,  and  there  was  sufficient  in  the  house  for 
breakfast  in  the  morning,  I  certainly  had  nothing  for 
dinner  on  the  coming  day. 

Somehow  or  other  there  was  at  once  a  stoppage  in  the 
flow  of  joy  in  my  heart ;  but  instead  of  reproving  myself  I 
began  to  reprove  the  poor  man,  telling  him  that  it  was 
very  wrong  to  have  allowed  matters  to  get  into  such  a  state 
as  he  described,  and  that  he  ought  to  have  applied  to  the 
relieving  officer.  His  answer  was  that  he  had  done  so,  and 
was  told  to  come  at  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning,  but 
that  he  feared  that  his  wife  might  not  live  through  the 
night  "Ah,"  thought  I,  "if  only  I  had  two  shillings 
and  a  sixpence  instead  of  this  half-crown,  how  gladly 
would  I  give  these  poor  people  one  shilling  of  it ! "  But  to 
part  with  the  half-crown  was  far  firom  my  thoughts.  I 
little  dreamed  that  the  real  truth  of  the  matter  simply 
was  that  I  could  trust  in  God  plus  one-and-sixpence,  but 
was  not  yet  prepared  to  trust  Him  only,  without  any 
money  at  all  in  my  pocket 

My  conductor  led  me  into  a  court,  down  which  I 
followed  him  with  some  degree  of  nervousness.  I  had 
found  myself  there  before,  and  at  my  last  visit  had 
been  very  roughly  handled,  while  my  tracts  were  torn  to 
pieces,  and  I  received  such  a  wamii^  not  to  come  again 


i6 


A  RETROSPECT 


that  I  felt  more  than  a  little  concerned.  Still,  it  was  the 
path  of  duty,  and  I  followed  on.  Up  a  miserable  flight 
of  stairs,  into  a  wretched  room,  he  led  me;  and  oh  what 
a  sight  there  presented  itself  to  our  eyes !  Four  or  five 
poor  children  stood  about,  their  sunken  cheeks  and 
temples  all  telling  unmistakably  the  story  of  slow  starva- 
tion ;  and  lying  on  a  wretched  pallet  was  a  poor  exhausted 
mother,  with  a  tiny  infant  thirty-six  hours  old,  moaning 
rather  than  crying  at  her  side,  for  it  too  seemed  spent  and 
failing.  "Ah!"  thought  I,  "if  I  had  two  shillings  and  a 
sixpence  inrtead  of  half-a-crown,  how  gladly  should  they 
have  one-and-sixpence  of  itl"  But  still  a  wretched  un- 
belief prevented  me  from  obeying  the  impulse  to  relieve 
their  distress  at  the  cost  of  all  I  possessed. 

It  will  scarcely  seem  strange  that  I  was  unable  to  say 
much  to  comfort  these  poor  people.  I  needed  comfort 
m3rsel£  I  began  to  tell  them,  however,  that  they  must  not 
be  cast  down,  that  though  their  circumstances  were  very 
distressing,  there  was  a  kind  and  loving  Father  in 
heaven ;  but  something  within  me  said,  "  You  hypocrite  I 
telling  these  unconverted  people  about  a  kind  and  loving 
Father  in  heaven,  and  not  prepared  yourself  to  trust  Him 
without  half-a-crown  !  "  I  was  nearly  choked.  How  gladly 
would  I  have  compromised  with  conscience  if  I  had  had  a 
florin  and  a  sixpence  I  I  would  have  given  the  florin  thank- 
fully and  kept  the  rest ;  but  I  was  not  yet  prepared  to 
trust  in  God  alone,  without  the  sixpence. 

To  talk  was  impossible  under  these  circumstances; 
yet,  strange  to  say,  I  thought  I  should  have  no  difl!iculty 
in  praying.  Prayer  was  a  delightful  occupation  to  me  in 
those  days ;  time  thus  spent  never  seemed  wearisome,  and 
I  knew  nothing  of  lack  of  words.  I  seemed  to  think  that 
all  I  should  have  to  do  would  be  to  kneel  down  and 
eng^  in  prayer,  and  that  relief  would  come  to  them  and 


PREPARATION  FOR  SERVICE 


«7 


to  myself  together.  "  You  asked  me  to  come  and  pray 
wit'  your  wife,"  I  said  to  the  man,  "  let  us  pray."  And  I 
knelt  down.  Bat  scarcely  had  I  opened  my  lips  with  "  Our 
Father  who  art  in  heaven  "  than  conscience  said  within, 
"  Dare  you  mock  God  ?  Dare  you  kneel  down  and  call 
■  llim  Father  with  that  half-crown  in  your  pocket?" 


i8 


A  RETROSPECT 


changed  it  for  a  prince's  feast.  I  reminded  the  Lord  as 
I  knelt  at  my  bedside  of  His  own  Word,  that  he  who  giveth 
to  the  poor  lendeth  to  the  Lord  :  I  asked  Him  not  to  let 
my  loan  be  a  long  one,  ot  I  should  have  no  dinner  next 
day ;  and  with  peace  within  and  peace  without,  I  spent  a 
happy,  restful  night. 


CHAPTER  IV 


FURTHER  ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER 

THE  remarkable  and  gracious  deliverance  I  have  spoken 
of,  was  a  great  joy  to  me,  as  well  as  a  strong  con- 
firmation of  faith ;  but  of  course  ten  shillings,  however 
economically  used,  will  not  go  very  far,  and  it  was  none 
the  less  necessary  to  continue  in  prayer,  asking  that  the 
larger  supply  which  was  still  due  might  be  remembered  and 
paid.    All  my  petitions,  however,  appeared  to  remain  un- 
answered;  and  before  a  fortnight  had  elapsed  I  found 
myself  pretty  much  in  the  same  position  that  I  had 
occupied  on  the  Sunday  night  ahready  made  so  memor- 
able.   Meanwhile,  I  continued  pleading  with  God,  more 
and  more  earnestly,  thot  He  would   graciously  remind 
my  employer  that  my  salary  was  overdue.    Of  course  it 
was  P'-*  the  want  of  the  money  that  distressed  me— that 
ecu        t  been  had  at  any  time  for  the  asking— but  the 
ouet       uppermost   :   my  mind  was  this  :  "  Can  I  go  to 

 would  have  been  a  wreck  probably,  as  a  UnriSuun  inc 

— had  not  grace  at  that  time  conquered,  and  the  striving 
of  God's  Spirit  been  obeyed.  I  well  remember  how  that 
night,  as  I  went  home  to  my  lodgings,  my  heart  was  as  light 
as  my  pocket.  The  lonely,  deserted  streets  resounded  with 
a  hymn  of  praise  which  I  could  not  restrain.  When  I  took 
my  basin  of  gruel  before  retirin|^  I  would  not  have  oi* 

c 


ae  A  RETROSPECT 

Ought  I  not,  for  her  sake,  to  speak  about  the  matter  erf 
the  salary?  Yet  to  do  so  would  he,  to  myself  at  any 
rate,  the  admission  that  I  was  not  fitted  to  undertake  a 
missionary  enterprise.  I  gave  nearly  the  whole  of  Thursday 
and  Friday — all  the  time  not  occupied  in  my  necessary 
employment — to  earnest  wrestling  with  God  in  prayer. 
But  still  on  Saturday  morning  I  was  in  the  same  position 
as  before.  And  now  my  earnest  cry  was  for  guidance 
as  to  whether  it  was  my  duty  to  break  silence  and  speak 
to  my  employer,  or  whether  I  should  still  continue  to  wait 
the  Father's  time.  As  far  as  I  could  judge,  I  received  the 
assurance  that  to  wait  His  time  was  best ;  and  that  God 
in  some  way  or  other  would  interpose  on  my  behalf.  So 
I  waited,  my  heart  being  now  at  rest  and  the  border  gone. 

About  five  o'clock  that  Saturday  afternoon,  when  the 
doctor  had  finished  writing  his  prescriptions,  his  last 
circuit  for  the  day  being  taken,  he  threw  himself  back  in 
his  arm  chair,  as  he  was  wont,  and  began  to  speak  of  the 
things  of  God.    He  was  a  truly  Christian  man,  and  many 
seasons  of  very  happy  spiritual  fellowship  we  had  together. 
I  was  busily  watching,  at  the  time,  a  pan  in  which  a 
decoction  was  boiling  that  required  a  good  deal  of  attention. 
It  was  indeed  fortunate  for  me  that  it  was  so,  for  without 
any  obvious  connection  with  what  had  been  going  on,  all 
at  once  he  said,  "  By-the-bye,  Taylor,  is  not  your  salary 
due  again  ?  "    My  emotion  may  be  imagined !    I  had  to 
swallow  two  or  three  tinies  before  I  Could  answer.  With 
my  eye  fixed  on  the  pan  and  my  back  to  the  doctor, 
I  told  him  as  quietly  as  I  could  that  it  was  overdue  some 
little  time.    How  thankful  I  felt  at  that  moment !  Gop 
surely  had  heard  my  prayer,  and  caused  him,  in  this 
time  of  my  great  need,  to  remember  the  salary  without 
any  woid  or  suggestion  from  me.    He  replied,  "  Oh,  I  am 
•o  swry  you  did  not  remind  me  I    You  know  how  busy  I 


FURTHER  ANSWK'IS  TO  PRAYER  ai 

am ;  1  wish  1  had  thought  of  it  a  little  sooner,  for  only 
this'  afternoon  I  sent  all  the  money  I  had  to  the  hank, 
otlierwise  I  would  pay  you  at  once."  It  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  revulsion  of  feeling  caused  by  this  unexpected 
statement.  I  knew  not  what  to  do.  Fortunately  for  me 
my  pan  boiled  up,  and  1  had  a  good  reason  for  rushing  with 
it  from  the  room.  Glad  indeed  I  was  to  get  away,  and 
keep  out  of  sight  until  after  the  doctor  had  returned  to  his 
house,  and  most  thankful  that  he  had  not  perceived  my 
emotion. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone  I  had  to  seek  ray  little 
sanctum,  and  pour  out  my  heart  before  the  Lord  for  some 
time,  before  calmness — and  more  than  calmness — thankful- 
ness, and  joy  were  restored  to  me.  I  felt  that  God  had 
His  own  way,  and  was  not  going  to  fail  me.  I  had  sought 
to  know  HU  will  early  in  the  day,  and  as  far  as  I  could 
judge  had  received  guidance  to  wait  patiently;  and  now 
God  was  going  to  work  for  me  in  some  other  way. 

That  evening  was  spent,  as  my  Saturday  evenings 
usually  were,  in  reading  the  Word  and  preparing  the 
subjects  on  which  I  expected  to  speak  in  the  various 
lodging-houses  on  the  morrow  I  waited,  perhaps,  a 
little  longer  than  usual.  At  last,  about  ten  o'clock,  there 
being  no  interruption  of  any  kind,  I  put  on  my  over- 
coat, and  was  preparing  to  leave  for  home,  rather  thankful 
to  know  that  by  that  time  I  should  have  to  let  myself 
in  with  the  latch-key,  as  my  landlady  retired  early  to 
rest.  There  was  certainly  no  help  for  that  night;  but 
perhaps  God  would  interpose  for  me  by  Monday,  and  I 
might  be  able  to  pay  my  landlady  early  in  the  week  the 
money  I  would  have  given  her  before,  had  it  been  possible. 

Just  as  I  was  preparing  to  turn  down  the  gas,  1  heard 
the  doctor's  step  in  the  garden  which  lay  between  the 
dwelling-house  and  surgery.    He  was  laughing  to  himself 


n  A  RETROSPECT 

very  heartily,  as  though  greatly  amused  by  something. 
Entering  the  surgery,  he  asked  for  the  ledger,  and  told 
me  that,  strange  to  say,  one  of  his  richest  patients  had 
just  come  to  pay  hit  doctor's  bill— was  it  not  an  odd 
thing  to  do?   It  never  struck  me  that  it  might  have  any 
bearing  on  my  own  particular  case,  or  I  might  have  felt 
embarrassed ;  but  looking  at  it  simply  from  the  position  of 
pn  uninterested  spectator,  I  also  was  highly  amused  that  a 
man  who  was  rolling  in  wealth  should  come  after  ten 
o'clock  at  night  to  pay  a  doctor's  bill,  which  he  could  any 
day  have  met  by  a  cheque  with  the  greatest  ease.  It 
appeared  that  somehow  or  other  he  could  not  rest  with 
this  on  his  mind,  and  had  been  constrained  to  come 
at  that  unusual  hour  to  discharge  his  liability. 

The  account  was  duly  receipted  in  the  ledger,  and 
the  doctor  was  about  to  leave,  when  suddenly  he  turned, 
and  handing  me  some  of  the  bank  notes  just  received, 
said,  to  my  surprise  and  thankfulness,  "By the  way, Taylor, 
you  might  as  well  take  these  notes  ;  I  have  not  any  change, 
but  can  give  you  the  balance  next  week."  Again  I  was 
left— my  feelings  undiscovered— to  go  back  to  my  own 
Uttie  closet  and  praise  the  Lord  with  a  joyful  heart  that 
after  all  I  might  go  to  China. 

To  me  this  incident  was  not  a  trivial  one ;  and  to  recall 
it  sometimes,  in  circumstances  of  great  difficulty,  in  China 
or  elsewhere,  has  proved  no  small  comfort  and  strength. 

By-and-by  the  time  drew  near  when  it  was  thought  desir- 
able that  I  shouU  leave  Hull  to  attend  the  medical  course 
of  the  London  Hospital.  A  little  while  spent  there,  arxd 
then  I  had  every  reason  to  beUeve  that  my  Ufe-work  in 
China  would  commence.  But  much  as  I  had  rejoiced 
at  the  willingness  of  God  to  hear  and  answer  prayer  and 
to  help  His  half- trusting,  half-timid  child,  I  felt  that  I 
could  not  go  to  China  without  having  stiU  fluther  de- 


FURTHER  ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER  t3 

veloped  and  tested  my  power  to  rest  upon  His  faithfulnew ; 
and  a  marked  opportunity  for  doing  so  was  providentiaUy 

afforded  me. 

My  dear  father  had  offered  to  bear  all  the  expense  of 
my  stay  in  London.  I  knew,  however,  that,  owing  to 
recent  losses,  it  would  mean  a  considerable  sacrifice  for 

him  to  undertake  this  just  when  it  seemed  necessary  for 
me  to  go  forward.    I  had  recently  become  acquainted 
with  the  Committee  of  the  Chinese  Evangelisation  Society, 
in  connection  with  which  I  ultimately  left  for  China, 
and  especially  with  iu  secretory,  my  esteemed  and  much- 
loved  friend  Mr.  George  Pearse,  then  of  the  Stock  Ex- 
change, but  nowi  and  for  many  years  himself  a  missionary. 
Not  knowing  of  my  father's  proposition,  the  Committee 
also  kindly  offered  to  bear  my  expenses  while  in  London. 
When  these  proposals  were  first  made  to  me,  I  was  not 
quite  clear  as  to  what  I  ought  to  do,  and  in  writing  to 
my  father  and  the  secretaries,  told  them  that  I  would 
Uke  a  few  days  to  pray  about  the  matter  before  deciding 
any  course  of  action.    I  mentioned  to  my  father  that 
I  had  had  this  offer  from  the  Society,  and  told  the 
secretaries  also  of  his  proffered  aid. 

Subsequently,  while  waiting  upon  God  in  prayer  for 
guidance,  it  became  clear  to  my  mind  that  I  could  with- 
out difficulty  decline  both  offers.  The  secretaries  of  the 
Society  would  not  know  that  I  had  cast  myself  wholly 
on  God  for  suppUes,  and  my  father  would  conclude  that 
I  had  accepted  the  other  offer.  I  therefore  wrote  decMn- 
mg  both  propositions,  and  felt  that  without  any  one  having 
"ither  care  or  anxiety  on  my  account  I  was  simply  in  the 
hands  of  God,  and  that  He,  who  knew  my  heart,  if  He 
wished  to  encourage  me  to  go  to  China,  would  bless  my 
effort  to  depend  upon  Him  alone  at  home. 

»  Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  George  Pearse  has  died. 


CHAPTER  V 


LIFE  IN  LONDON 

I MUST  not  now  attempt  to  detail  the  way*  in  which 
the  Lord  was  pleased — often  to  my  surprise,  as  well  as 
to  ray  delight — to  help  me  from  time  to  time.  I  soon  found 
that  it  was  not  possible  to  live  quite  as  economically  in 
London  as  in  Hull,  To  lessen  expenses  I  shared  a  room 
with  a  cousin,  four  miles  from  the  hospital,  providing 
myself  with  board ;  and  after  various  experiments  I  found 
that  the  most  economical  way  was  to  live  almost  exclusively 
on  brown  bread  and  water.  Thus  I  was  able  to  make  the 
means  that  God  gave  me  last  as  long  as  possible.  Some 
of  my  expenses  I  could  not  diminish,  but  my  board  was 
largely  within  my  own  control.  A  large  twopenny  loaf  of 
brown  bread,  purchased  daily  on  my  long  walk  from  the 
hospital,  furnished  me  with  supper  and  breakfast;  and  on 
that  diet,  with  a  few  apples  for  lunch,  I  managed  to  walk 
eight  or  nine  miles  a  day,  besides  being  a  good  deal  on 
foot  while  attending  the  practice  of  the  hospital  and  the 
medical  school 

One  incident  that  occurred  just  about  this  time  I  must 
refer  to.  The  husband  of  my  former  landlady  in  Hull  was 
chief  officer  of  a  ship  that  sailed  from  London,  and  by 
receiving  his  half-pay  monthly  and  remittmg  it  to  her  I 
was  able  to  save  her  the  cost  of  a  commission.    This  I 


LIFE  IN  LONDON 


had  been  doing  for  several  months,  when  the  wrote  re- 
questing that  I  would  obtain  the  next  payment  at  ourly  as 
pouible,  as  her  rent  was  almost  due,  and  she  depended 
upon  that  sum  to  meet  it.  Tlie  request  raine  at  an 
inconvenient  time.  1  was  working  hard  for  an  examina- 
tion in  the  hope  <^  obtaining  a  scholarship  which  would 
be  of  service  to  me,  and  '^It  that  I  could  ill  afford  the 
time  to  go  during  the  busiest  part  of  the  day  to  the  city 
and  procure  ti»e  money.  1  had,  however,  sufficient  of  my 
own  in  hand  to  enable  me  to  send  the  required  sum.  I 
made  the  remittance  therefore,  purposing,  as  soon  as  the 
examination  was  over,  to  go  and  draw  the  regular  allowance 
with  which  to  refund  myself. 

Before  the  time  of  e.\amination  the  medical  school 
was  closed  for  a  day,  on  account  of  the  funeral  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  and  I  had  an  opportunity  of  going 
at  once  to  the  office,  which  was  situated  in  a  street  off 
Cheapside,  and  applying  for  the  due  amount.  To  ray 
surprise  and  dismay  the  derk  told  me  that  he  could  not 
pay  it,  as  the  officer  in  question  had  run  away  from  his 
ship  and  gone  to  the  gold  diggings.  "  Well,"  I  remarked, 
"that  is  very  inconvenient  for  me,  as  I  have  already 
advanced  the  money,  and  I  know  his  wife  will  have  no 
means  of  repaying  it"  The  clerk  said  he  was  sorry,  but 
could  of  course  only  act  according  to  orders ;  so  there  was 
no  help  r  me  in  that  direction.  A  little  more  time  and 
thoughi,  however,  brought  the  comforting  conclusion  to  my 
mind,  that  as  I  was  depending  on  the  Lord  for  every- 
thing, and  His  means  were  not  limited,  it  was  a  small 
matter  to  be  brought  a  little  sooner  or  later  into  the 
position  of  needing  fresh  supplies  from  Him  ;  and  so  the 
joy  and  the  peace  were  not  long  interfered  with. 

Voy  soon  after  this,  pos '^bly  the  same  evening,  while 
tewing  tether  some  theett  of  paper  on  which  to  take 


at 


A  RsntosracT 


notes  of  the  lectures,  I  accidentally  jmcked  the  fint  llnget 
of  my  r^t  hand,  and  in  a  fiew  mommts  fiMrgot  aU  about 

it  The  next  day  at  the  hospital  I  continued  dissecting 
as  before.  The  body  was  that  of  a  person  who  had  died 
of  fever,  and  was  more  than  usually  disagreeable  and 
dangerous.  I  need  fcaicely  lay  that  thoae  of  ut  who 
were  at  work  upon  it  dissected  with  special  care,  knowing 
that  ihe  slightest  scratch  might  cost  us  our  lives.  Before 
the  morning  was  far  advanced  I  began  to  feel  very  w.ary, 
and  while  going  through  the  surgical  waidf  at  noon  was 
(rf>%ed  to  run  <mt,  being  suddenly  very  sick — a  most 
unusual  circumstance  with  me,  as  I  took  but  little  food 
and  nothing  that  could  disagree  with  me.  After  feeling 
faint  for  some  time,  a  draught  of  cold  water  revived  me, 
and  I  was  aUe  to  rejdn  the  students.  I  became  more  and 
more  unwell,  however,  and  ere  the  afternoon  lecture  on 
surgery  was  over  found  it  impossible  to  hold  the  pencil  and 
continue  taking  notes.  By  the  time  the  next  lecture  was 
through,  my  whole  arm  and  right  side  were  full  of  severe 
pain,  and  I  was  both  looking  and  feeling  very  ill. 

Finding  that  I  could  not  resume  work,  I  went  into 
the  dissecting-room  to  bind  up  the  portion  I  was  engaged 
upon  and  put  away  my  apparatus,  and  said  to  the  demon- 
Btrator,  who  was  a  very  skilful  surgeon, "  I  cannot  think  what 
has  come  over  me,"  describing  the  symptoms.  "Why," 
said  he,  "  what  has  happened  is  clear  enough :  you  must 
have  cut  yourself  in  dissecting,  and  you  know  that  this  is  a 
case  of  malignant  fever."  I  assured  him  that  I  had  been 
most  careful,  and  was  quite  certain  that  I  had  no  cut  or 
scratch.  "Well,"  he  replied,  "you  certainly  must  have 
had  one ; "  and  he  very  closely  scrutinised  my  hand  to  find 
it,  but  in  vain.  All  at  once  it  ofxurred  to  me  that  I  had 
prkdted  my  finger  the  night  before,  and  I  asked  him  if  it 
were  possible  that  a  pride  from  a  needle,  at  that  tkn^  could 


UPS  IM  LONDON 


•7 


have  been  still  unclowd.  Hit  o^ion  wai  that  this  wm 
ivobably  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  he  advised  me  to 
get  a  hansom,  drive  home  as  fast  as  I  could,  and  arrange 
my  affairs  forthwith.  "For,"  he  said,  "you  are  a  dead 
man." 

My  first  thought  was  one  of  sonow  that  I  could  not  go 
to  China;  but  very  soon  came  the  feeling,  "Unless  I  am 
greatly  mistaken,  I  have  work  to  do  in  China,  and  shall  not 
die."  I  was  glad,  however,  to  take  the  opportunity  ol 
speddng  to  my  medical  friend,  who  was  a  ccmfirmed 
sceptic  as  to  things  spiritual,  of  the  joy  that  the  prospect 
of  perhaps  soon  being  with  my  Master  gave  me ;  telling 
him  at  the  same  time  that  I  did  not  think  I  should  die,  as, 
unless  I  were  much  mistaken,  I  had  work  to  do  in  China; 
and  if  so,  however  severe  the  struggle,  I  mtist  be  brought 
through.  "That  is  all  very  well,"  he  answered,  "but  you 
get  a  hansom  and  drive  home  as  fast  as  you  can.  You 
have  no  time  to  lose,  for  you  will  soon  be  incapable  of 
winding  up  your  affairs." 

I  smiled  a  little  at  the  idea  of  my  driving  home  in 
a  hansom,  for  by  this  time  my  means  were  too  exhausted 
to  allow  of  such  a  proceeding,  and  I  set  out  to  walk  the 
distance  if  possible.  Befinre  long,  however,  my  strength 
gave  way,  and  I  felt  it  was  no  use  to  attempt  to  reach 
home  by  walking.  Availing  myself  of  an  omnibus  from 
Whitecbapel  Church  to  Farringdon  Street,  and  another 
from  Farringdon  Street  onwards,  I  reached,  in  great 
suffering,  the  neighbourhood  of  Soho  Square,  behind 
which  I  lived.  On  going  into  the  house  I  got  some 
hot  water  from  the  servant,  and  charging  her  very  earnestly 

 literally  as  a  dying  man — to  accept  eternal  life  as  the 

gift  of  God  through  jEStJS  Chiiist,  I  bathed  my  head  and 
lanced  the  fingor,  hoping  to  let  (mt  some  of  the  pdsoned 
blood.   Tlte  pain  was  very  sevoe;  I  fainted  away,  and 


28 


A  RETROSPECT 


was  for  some  time  unconscious,  so  long  that  when  I 
came  to  myself  I  found  that  I  had  been  carried  to  bed. 

An  uncle  of  mine  who  lived  near  at  hand  had  come 
in,  and  sent  for  his  own  medical  man,  an  assistant  surgeon 
at  the  \\'estniinster  Hospital.  I  assured  my  uncle  that 
medical  help  would  be  of  no  service  to  me,  and  that  I 
did  not  wbh  to  go  to  the  expense  involved  He,  how- 
ever, quieted  me  on  this  score,  saying  that  he  had  sent 
for  his  own  doctor,  and  that  the  bill  would  be  charged  to 
himself.  When  the  surgeon  came  and  learned  all  the 
particulars,  he  said,  "Well,  if  you  have  been  living  moder- 
ately, you  may  pull  through ;  but  if  you  have  been  going 
in  for  beer  and  that  sort  of  thing,  there  is  no  manner  of 
chance  for  you."  1  thought  that  if  sober  living  was  to 
do  anything,  few  could  have  a  belter  chance,  as  little  but 
bread  and  water  had  been  my  diet  for  a  good  while  past 
I  told  him  I  had  lived  abstemiously,  and  found  that  it 
helped  me  in  study.  *'  But  now,"  he  said,  "you  must  keep 
up  your  strength,  for  it  will  be  a  pretty  hard  struggle." 
And  he  ordered  me  a  bottle  of  port  wine  every  day,  and 
as  many  chops  as  I  could  consume.  Again  I  smiled  in- 
wardly, having  no  means  for  the  purchase  of  such  luxuries. 
This  difificulty,  however,  was  also  met  by  my  kind  uncle, 
who  sent  me  at  once  all  that  was  needed. 

I  was  much  concerned,  notwithstanding  the  agony 
I  suffered,  that  my  dear  parents  should  not  be  made 
acquainted  with  my  state.  Thought  and  prayer  had  satis- 
fied me  that  I  was  not  going  to  die,  but  thr.t  there  was 
indeed  a  work  for  me  to  do  in  China.  If  my  dear  parents 
should  come  up  and  find  me  in  that  condition,  I  must 
lose  the  opportunity  of  seeing  how  God  was  going  to  work 
for  me,  now  that  my  money  had  almost  come  to  an  end. 
So,  after  prayer  for  guidance,  I  obtained  a  promise  from 
my  uncle  and  cotisin  not  to  write  to  my  parents,  but  to 


LIFE  IN  LONDON 


29 


leave  me  to  communicate  with  them  myself.  I  felt  it  was 
a  very  distinct  answer  to  prayer  when  they  gave  me 
this  promise,  and  I  took  care  to  defer  all  communication 
with  them  myself  until  the  crisis  was  past  and  the  worst 
of  the  attack  over.  At  home  they  knew  that  I  was  work- 
ing hard  for  an  examination,  and  did  not  wonder  at  my 
silence. 

Days  and  nights  of  suffering  passed  slowly  by;  but 
at  length,  after  several  weeks,  I  was  sufficiently  restored  to 
leave  my  room ;  and  then  I  learned  that  two  men,  though 
not  from  the  London  Hospital,  who  had  had  dissection 
wounds  at  the  same  time  as  myself,  had  both  succumbed, 
while  I  was  spared  in  answer  to  prayer  to  work  for  God 
in  China. 


CHAPTER  VI 


STRENGTHENED  BY  FAITH 

ONE  day  the  doctor  coming  in  found  me  on  the  sofa, 
and  was  surprised  to  learn  that  with  assistance  I  had 
walked  downstairs.  *'  Now,"  he  said,  "  the  best  thing  you 
can  do  is  to  get  off  to  the  country  as  soon  as  you  feel 
equal  to  the  journey.  You  must  rusticate  until  you  have 
recovered  a  fair  amount  of  health  and  strength,  for  if  you 
begin  your  work  too  soon  the  consequences  may  still  be 
serious."  When  he  had  left,  as  I  lay  very  exhausted  on 
the  sofa,  I  just  told  the  Lord  all  about  it,  and  that  I  was 
refraining  from  making  my  circumstances  known  to  .hose 
who  would  delight  to  meet  my  need,  in  order  that  my  faith 
might  be  strengthened  by  rec"  'ing  help  from  Himself  in 
answer  to  prayer  alone.  What  was  I  to  do  ?  And  I  waited 
for  His  answer. 

It  seemed  to  me  as  if  He  were  directing  my  mind  to 
the  conclusion  to  go  again  to  the  shipping  office,  and  inquire 
about  the  wages  I  had  been  unable  to  draw.  I  reminded 
the  Lord  that  I  could  not  afford  to  take  a  conveyance,  and 
that  it  did  not  seem  at  all  likely  th.nt  I  should  succeed  in 
getting  the  money,  and  asked  whether  this  impulse  was 
not  a  mere  clutching  at  a  straw,  some  mental  process  of 
my  own,  rather  than  His  guidance  and  teaching.  After 
prayer,  however,  and  renewed  waiting  upon  God,  I  was 


STRENGTHENED  BY  FAITH 


confirmed  in  my  belief  that  He  Himself  was  teaching  me 
to  go  to  the  office. 

The  next  question  was,  "  How  am  I  to  go  ? "  I  had 
had  to  seek  help  in  coming  downstairs,  and  the  place  was 
at  least  two  miles  away.  The  assurance  was  brought 
vividly  home  to  me  that  whatever  I  asked  of  God  in  the 
name  of  Christ  would  be  done,  that  the  Father  might 
be  glorified  in  the  Son  ;  that  what  I  had  to  do  was  to 
seek  strength  for  the  long  walk,  to  receive  it  by  faith, 
and  to  set  c  on  it.  Unhesitatingly  I  told  the  Lord 
that  I  was  q'  *  lling  to  take  the  walk  if  He  would  give 
me  the  streng.-i.  I  asked  in  the  name  of  Christ  that 
the  strength  might  be  immediately  given ;  and  sending 
the  servant  up  to  my  room  for  my  hat  and  stick,  I  set 
out,  not  to  attempt  to  walk,  but  to  walk  to  Cheapside. 

Although  undoubtedly  strengthened  by  faith,  I  never 
took  so  much  interest  in  shop  windows  as  I  did  upon  that 
journey.  At  every  second  or  third  step  I  was  glad  to 
lean  a  little  against  the  plate  glass,  and  take  time  to 
examine  the  contents  of  the  windows  before  passing  on. 
It  needed  a  special  effort  of  faith  when  I  got  to  the 
bottom  of  Farringdon  Street  to  attempt  the  toilsome  ascent 
of  Snow  Hill:  there  was  no  Holborn  Viaduct  in  those 
days,  and  it  had  to  be  done.  God  did  wonderfully  help 
me,  and  in  due  time  I  reached  Cheapside,  turned  into 
the  by  street  in  which  the  office  was  found,  and  sat  down 
much  exhausted  on  the  steps  leading  to  the  first  floor, 
which  was  my  dest...ation.  I  felt  my  position  to  be  a 
little  peculiar — sitting  there  on  the  steps,  so  evidently 
spent — and  the  gentlemen  who  rushed  up  and  down- 
stairs looked  at  me  witli  an  inquiring  gaze.  After  a 
little  rest,  however,  and  a  further  season  of  prayer,  I 
succeeded  in  climbing  the  staircase,  and  to  my  comfort 
found  in  the  office  the  clerk  with  whom  I  had  hitherto 


A  RETROSPECT 


dealt  in  the  matter.  Seeing  mc  looking  pale  and  ex- 
hausted, he  kindly  inquired  as  to  my  health,  and  I  told 

him  that  I  had  had  a  serious  illness,  and  was  ordered 
to  the  country,  but  thought  it  well  to  call  first,  and  make 
further  inquiry,  lest  there  should  have  been  any  mistake 
about  the  mate  having  run  off  to  the  gold  diggings. 
"  Oh,"  he  said,  "  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come,  for  it  turns 
out  that  it  was  an  able  seaman  of  the  same  name  that  ran 
away.  The  mate  is  still  on  board ;  the  ship  has  just 
reached  Gravesend,  and  will  be  up  very  soon.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  give  you  the  half-pay  up  to  date,  for  doubtless 
it  will  reach  his  wife  more  safely  through  you.  We  all 
know  what  temptations  beset  the  men  when  they  arrive  at 
home  after  a  voyage." 

Before,  however,  giving  me  the  sum  of  money,  he 
insisted  upon  my  coming  inside  and  sharing  his  lunch.  I 
felt  it  was  the  Lord  indeed  who  was  providing  for  me,  and 
accepted  his  ofler  with  thankfulness.  When  I  was  refreshed 
and  rested,  he  gave  me  a  sheet  of  i»per  to  write  a  few  lines 
to  the  wife,  telling  her  of  the  circumstances.  On  my  way 
back  I  procured  in  Cheapside  a  money  order  for  the  balance 
due  to  her,  and  posted  it  j  and  returning  home  again,  felt 
myself  now  quite  justified  in  taking  an  omnibus  as  far  as  it 
would  serve  me. 

Very  much  better  the  next  morning,  after  seeing  to 
some  little  matters  that  I  had  to  settle,  I  made  my  way  to 
the  surgery  of  the  doctor  who  had  attended  me,  feeling 
that,  although  my  uncle  was  prepared  to  pay  the  bill,  it 
was  right  f<Mr  me,  now  that  I  had  some  money  in  hand,  to 
ask  for  the  account  myself.  The  kind  surgeon  refused  to 
allow  me,  as  a  medical  student,  to  pay  anything  for  his 
attendance ;  but  he  had  supplied  me  with  quinine,  which 
he  allowed  me  to  pay  for  to  the  extent  of  eight  killings. 
When  that  was  settled,  I  saw  that  the  sum  left  was  just 


STRENGTHENED  BY  FAITII 


33 


sufficient  to  take  me  home;  and  to  my  mind  the  whole 
thing  seemed  a  wonderful  interposition  of  God  on  my 
behal£ 

I  knew  that  the  surgeon  was  sceptical,  and  told  him  that 
I  should  very  much  like  to  speak  to  him  freely,  if  I  might 
do  so  without  offence ;  that  I  felt  that  under  Goo  I  owed 
my  life  to  his  kind  care,  and  wished  very  earnestly  that  he 
himself  might  become  a  partaker  of  the  same  precious  faith 
that  I  possessed.  So  I  told  him  my  reason  for  being  in 
London,  and  about  my  circumstances,  and  why  I  had 
declined  the  help  of  both  my  father  and  the  officers  of  the 
Society  in  connection  with  which  it  was  probable  that  I 
should  go  to  China.  1  told  him  of  the  recent  providential 
dealings  of  God  with  me,  and  how  apparently  hopeless 
ray  position  had  been  the  day  before,  when  he  had  ordered 
me  to  go  to  the  country,  unless  I  would  reveal  my  need, 
which  I  had  determined  not  to  do.  I  described  to  him 
the  mental  exercises  I  had  gone  through;  but  when  I 
added  that  I  had  actually  got  up  from  the  sofe  and  walked 
to  Cheaiwide,  he  looked  at  me  incredulously,  and  said, 
"Impossible!  '..hy,  I  left  you  lying  there  more  like  a 
ghost  than  a  man."  And  I  had  to  assure  hira  again  and 
again  that,  strengthened  by  faith,  the  walk  had  really  be?" 
taken.-  I  told  him  also  what  money  was  left  to  me, ; — 
what  payments  there  had  been  to  make,  and  showed  him 
that  just  sufficient  remained  to  take  me  home  to  \'orkshire, 
providing  for  needful  refreshment  by  the  way  and  the 
omnibus  journey  at  the  end. 

My  kind  friend  was  completely  broken  down,  and  said 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  I  would  give  all  the  world  for  a 
faith  like  yours."  I,  on  the  other  hand,  had  the  joy  of 
telling  him  that  it  was  to  be  obtained  without  money  and 
without  price.  We  never  met  i^n.  When  I  came  back 
to  town,  restored  to  health  and  strength,  I  found  that  he 

D 


34 


A  RETROSPECT 


had  had  a  stroke,  and  left  for  the  country ;  and  I  sub- 
sequently learned  that  be  never  rallied.    I  was  able  to 

gain  no  information  as  to  Lis  state  of  mind  when  taken 
away ;  but  I  have  always  felt  very  thankful  that  I  had  the 
opportunity,  and  embraced  it,  of  bearing  that  testimony  foi 
God.  I  cannot  but  entertain  the  hope  that  the  Master 
Himself  was  speaking  to  him  through  riis  dealings  with 
me,  and  that  I  shall  meet  him  again  in  the  Better  Land. 
It  would  be  no  small  joy  to  be  welcomed  by  him,  when 
my  own  service  is  over. 

The  next  day  found  me  in  my  dear  parents'  home.  My 
joy  in  the  Lord's  help  and  deliverance  was  so  great  that 
I  was  unable  to  keep  it  to  myself,  and  before  my  return  to 
London  my  dear  mother  knew  tlie  secret  of  my  life  for 
some  time  past.  I  need  scarcely  say  that  when  I  went  up 
again  to  town  I  was  not  allowed  to  live— as,  indeed,  I  was 
not  fit  to  live — on  the  same  economical  lines  as  before 
my  illness.  I  needed  more  now,  and  the  Lord  did 
provide 


CilAPTER  Vll 

MIGHTY  TO  SAVE 

RETURNING  to  London  when  sufficiently  recovered 
to  resume  my  studies,  the  busy  life  of  hospital  and 
lecture-hall  was  resumed ;  often  relieved  by  happy  Sundays 
of  fellowship  with  Christian  friends,  especially  in  London  or 
Tottenham.  Opportunities  for  service  are  to  be  found  in 
every  sphere,  and  mine  was  no  exception.  I  shall  only 
mention  one  case  now  that  gave  me  great  encouragement 
in  seeking  conversion  even  when  it  seemed  apparently 
hopeless. 

God  had  given  me  tlio  joy  of  winning  souls  before,  but 
not  in  surroundings  of  such  special  dititiculty.  With  GoD 
all  things  are  possible,  and  no  conversion  ever  takes  place 
save  by  the  almighty  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
great  need,  therefore,  of  every  Christian  worker  is  to  kmnv 
God.  Indeed,  this  is  the  purpose  for  which  He  has  given 
us  eternal  life,  as  our  Saviour  Himself  says,  in  the  oft 
misquoted  verse,  John  xvii.  3:  "This  is  [the  object  of] 
life  eternal,  [not  to  know  but]  that  they  might  know  Thee 
the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast 
sent."  I  was  now  to  prove  the  willingness  of  God  to 
answer  ijrayer  for  spiritual  blessing  under  most  unpromising 
circumstance!^  and  thus  to  gain  an  increased  acquaintance 
with  the  prayer-answering  God  as  One  "  mighty  to  save." 


36 


A  RETROSPECT 


A  short  time  before  leaving  for  Chinn,  it  became  my  duty 
daily  to  dress  the  foot  of  a  patient  suffering  from  senile 
gangrene.  I'he  disease  commenced,  as  usual,  insidiously, 
and  the  pnticnt  had  little  idea  that  he  was  a  doomed  man, 
and  probably  had  not  long  to  live.  I  was  not  the  first  to 
attend  to  him,  but  when  the  case  was  transferred  to  me,  I 
naturally  became  very  anxious  about  his  souL  The  family 
with  whom  he  lived  were  Christians,  and  from  them  I 
learned  that  he  was  an  avowed  atheist,  and  very  antagonistic 
to  anything  religious.  They  had,  without  asking  his  consent, 
invited  a  Scripture  reader  to  visit  him,  but  in  great  passion 
he  had  ordered  him  from  the  room.  The  vicar  of  the  district 
had  also  called,  hoping  to  help  him ;  but  he  had  spit  in  his 
face,  and  refused  to  allow  him  to  speak  to  him.  His 
passionate  temper  was  described  to  me  as  very  violent, 
and  altogether  the  case  seemed  to  be  as  hopeless  as  could 
well  be  imagined. 

Upon  first  commencing  to  attend  him  I  prayed  much 
about  it;  but  for  two  or  three  days  said  nothing  to  him 
of  a  religious  nature  By  special  care  in  dressing  his 
diseased  limb  I  was  able  considerably  to  lessen  his  suffn- 
ings,  and  he  soon  began  to  manifest  grateful  appreciation 
of  my  services.  One  day,  with  a  trembling  heart,  I  took 
advantage  of  his  warm  acknowledgments  to  tell  him  what 
was  the  spring  of  my  action,  and  to  speak  of  his  own 
solemn  position  and  need  of  God's  mercy  through  Christ. 
It  was  evidently  only  by  a  powerful  effort  of  self-restraint 
that  he  kept  as  lips  closed.  He  turned  over  in  bed 
with  his  back  to  me,  and  uttered  no  word. 

I  could  not  get  the  poor  man  out  of  my  mind,  and 
very  often  through  each  day  I  pleaded  with  God,  by  His 
Spirit,  to  save  him  ere  He  took  him  hence.  After  dressing 
the  wound  and  relieving  his  pain,  1  never  failed  to  say  a 
few  words  to  him,  which  I  hoped  the  Lord  would  blew. 


MIGHTY  TO  SAVE 


37 


He  always  turned  his  back  to  me,  looking  annoyed,  but 
never  spoke  a  word  in  reply. 

After  continuing  this  for  some  time,  my  heart  sank.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  I  was  not  only  doing  no  good,  but  perhaps 
really  hardening  him  and  increasing  his  guilt.  One  day, 
after  dressing  his  limb  and  washing  my  hands,  instead  of 
returning  to  the  bedside  to  speak  to  him,  I  went  to  the  door, 
and  stood  hesitating  for  a  few  moments  with  the  thought  in 
my  mind,  "  Kphraim  is  joined  to  his  idols ;  let  him  alone." 
I  looked  at  the  man  and  saw  his  surprise,  as  it  was  the  first 
time  since  speaking  to  him  that  I  had  attempted  to  leave 
without  going  up  to  his  bedside  to  say  a  few  words  for  my 
Master.  I  couL'  hear  it  no  longer.  Bursting  into  tears, 
I  crossed  the  room  and  said,  "  My  friend,  whether  you 
will  hear  -^r  whether  you  will  forbear,  I  must  deliver  my 
soul,"  and  went  on  to  speak  very  earnestly  to  him,  telling 
hiro  with  many  tears  how  much  I  wished  that  he  would  let 
me  pray  with  him.  To  my  unspeakable  joy  he  did  not 
turn  away,  but  replied,  "  If  it  will  be  a  relief  to  you,  do." 
I  need  scarcely  say  that  1  fell  on  my  knees  and  poured 
out  my  whole  soul  to  God  on  his  behalf.  I  believe  the 
Lord  then  and  there  wrought  a  change  in  his  soul. 

Hr  was  never  afterwards  unwilling  to  be  spoken  to  and 
pr?T-ed  with,  and  within  a  few  days  he  definitely  accepted 
Christ  as  his  Saviour.  Oh  the  joy  it  was  to  me  to  see 
that  dear  man  rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God  ! 
He  told  me  that  for  forty  years  he  had  never  darkened  the 
door  of  church  or  chapel,  and  that  then — forty  years  ago 
— ^he  had  only  entered  a  place  of  worship  to  be  married, 
and  could  not  be  persuaded  to  go  inside  when  his  wife  was 
buried.  Now,  thank  God,  his  sin-stained  soul,  I  had  every 
reason  to  believe,  was  washed,  was  sanctified,  was  justified, 
in  the  Name  of  the  I-ord  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  Spirit 

otir  God.    Oftentimes,  when  in  my  early  work  in  China 


38  A  RETROSPECT 

ciicumstaiKcs  rendered  me  almost  hopeless  of  success,  1 
have  thought  of  this  roan's  cwiversion,  and  have  been 
encouraged  to  persevere  in  speaking  the  Word,  whether 

men  would  licir  or  whether  they  would  forbear. 

'1  he  now  ''nppy  sufferer  lived  for  some  time  after  this 
change,  and  never  tired  of  bearing  testimony  to  the 
grace  of  God.  Though  his  condition  was  most  distressing, 
the  alteration  in  his  character  and  behaviour  made  the 
previously  painful  duty  of  attending  him  one  of  real  plea- 
sure. I  have  often  thought  since,  in  connection  with  this 
case  and  the  work  of  God  generally,  of  the  words,  "He 
that  goeth  forth  v-eefing,  hearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubt- 
less come  again  rejoii  ing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him." 
Perhaps  if  there  were  more  of  that  intense  distress  for 
souls  that  leads  to  tears,  we  should  more  frequently  sec  the 
results  we  desire.  Sometimes  it  may  be  that  while  we  are 
complaining  ot  the  hardness  of  the  hearts  of  those  we 
are  seeking  to  benefit,  the  hardness  of  our  own  hearts, 
and  our  own  feeble  appreliension  of  the  solemn  reality  of 
eternal  things,  may  be  the  true  cause  of  otur  want  of 
success. 


CHAPTER  VIIl 


VOYAGE  TO  CHINA 

SOON  after  this  the  time  so  long  looked  forward  to 
arrived  —  the  time  that  I  was  to  leave  Enj^land 
for  China.  After  being  set  apart  with  many  prayers 
for  the  ministry  of  God's  Word  among  the  heathen 
Chinese  I  left  I>ondon  for  Liverpool;  and  on  the  19th 
of  September  1853  a  little  service  was  held  in  the  stern 
cabin  of  the  Dumfries,  which  had  been  secured  for  me  by 
the  Committee  of  the  Chinese  Evangelisation  Society,  under 
whose  auspices  I  was  going  to  China. 

My  beloved,  now  sainted,  mother  had  cc-ne  to  see  me 
off  from  Taverpool.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  day,  nor 
how  she  went  with  me  into  the  little  cabin  that  was  to 
be  my  home  for  nearly  six  long  months.  With  a  mother's 
loving  hand  she  smoothed  the  little  bed.  She  sat  by  my 
side,  and  joined  me  in  the  last  hymn  that  we  should  sing 
together  before  the  long  parting.  We  knelt  down,  and 
she  prayed — the  last  mother's  prayer  I  was  to  hear  before 
starting  for  China.  Then  notice  was  given  that  we  must 
separate,  and  we  had  to  say  good-bye,  never  expecting  to 
meet  on  earth  again. 

For  my  sake  she  restrained  her  feelings  as  '""h  as 
possible.  We  parted ;  and  she  went  on  shore,  giving  me 
her  blessing :  I  stood  alone  on  deck,  and  she  followed  the 


40 


A  RETROSPECT 


ship  as  wc  moved  towards  the  dock  gates.  As  we  passed 
tluoa^  the  gates,  and  the  leptnition  railly  commenced, 
I  shall  never  forget  the  cry  of  anguish  wrung  from  that 
mother's  heart.  It  went  through  me  like  a  knife.  I  never 
knew  so  fully,  until  then,  what  "  God  so  loved  the  world  " 
meant  And  I  am  quite  rare  that  my  precious  modier 
learned  more  of  the  love  of  God  to  the  panshing  in  that 
hour  than  in  all  her  life  before. 

Oh,  how  it  must  grieve  the  heart  of  God  when  He  sees 
His  children  indifferent  to  the  needs  of  that  wide  world  for 
which  His  beloved,  His  only  begotten  Sok  died  t 

Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline  thine  ear ; 
Forget  also  thine  own  people,  and  thy  fiuhei's  house ; 

So  shall  the  King  desire  thy  beauty  : 

For  He  is  thy  LORD  ;  and  worship  thou  Him. 

Praise  God,  the  number  is  increasing  who  are  finding  out 
the  exceeding  joys,  the  wondrous  revelations  of  His  mercies, 
vouchsafed  to  those  who  "  follow  Him,"  and  emptyii^  them- 
selves,  leave  all  in  obedience  to  His  great  commission. 

It  was  on  19th  September  1853  that  the  Dumfries 
sailed  for  China;  and  not  until  ist  March,  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  did  I  arrive  in  SlumghaL 

Our  voyage  had  a  rough  beginning,  but  many  had 
promised  to  remember  us  in  constant  prayer.  No  small 
comfort  was  this ;  for  we  had  scarcely  left  the  Mersey  when 
a  violent  equinoctial  gale  caught  us,  and  for  twelve  days  we 
were  beating  backwards  and  forwards  in  the  Irish  Channel, 
unable  to  get  out  to  sea.  The  gale  steadily  increased,  and 
after  almost  a  week  we  lay  to  for  a  time ;  but  driftin  on 
a  lee  coast,  we  were  compelled  again  to  make  sail,  and 
endeavoured  to  beat  off  to  windwaRl.  The  utmost  efforts 
of  the  captain  and  crew,  however,  were  unavailing;  and 
Stmday  night,  35th  Sef^ember,  6nind  us  drifting  into 


VOYAGE  TO  CHINA 


4« 


Carnarvon  Bay,  each  tack  becoming  shorter,  until  at  last 
we  were  within  h  stone's-throw  of  the  rocks.    Aixnit  this 

time,  as  the  ship,  which  had  refused  to  stay,  was  put  round 
in  the  other  direction,  the  Christian  captain  said  to  me, 
"  We  cannot  live  half  an  hour  now :  what  of  your  '•all  to 
Ukborar  for  the  Lord  in  China  ?  "  I  had  previously  passed 
through  a  time  of  much  conflict,  but  that  was  over,  and  it 
was  a  great  joy  to  feel  and  to  tcU  him  tliat  I  would  not  for 
any  consideration  be  in  any  other  position  j  that  I  strongly 
expected  to  reach  China ;  but  that,  if  otherwise,  at  any  rate 
the  Master  would  say  it  was  well  that  i  \:„  found  seeking 
to  obey  His  command. 

Within  a  few  minutes  after  wearing  ship  the  captain 
walked  up  to  the  compass,  and  said  to  me,  "  The  wind  has 
freed  two  pmnts ;  we  shall  be  able  to  beat  out  of  the  bay." 
And  so  we  did.  The  bowsprit  was  sprung  and  the  vessel 
seriously  strained  ;  but  in  a  few  days  we  got  out  to  sea,  and 
the  necessary  repairs  were  so  thoroughly  effected  on  board 
that  our  journey  to  China  was  in  due  time  satisfactorily 
accomfdished. 

One  thing  was  a  great  trouble  to  me  that  night.  I  was 
a  very  young  believer,  and  had  not  sufficient  faith  in  God 
to  see  Him  in  and  through  the  use  of  means.  I  had  felt 
it  a  duty  to  comply  with  the  earnest  wish  oi  my  beloved 
and  honoured  mother,  and  for  her  sake  to  procure  a 
swimming-belt.  But  in  my  own  soul  I  felt  as  if  I  could 
not  simply  trust  in  Cov  while  1  had  this  swimming-belt ; 
and  my  heart  had  no  rest  until  on  that  night,  after  all 
hope  of  being  saved  was  gone,  I  had  given  it  away.  Then 
I  had  perfect  peace ;  and,  strange  to  s.iy,  put  several  light 
things  together,  likely  to  float  at  the  time  we  struck,  with- 
out any  thought  of  inconsistency  or  scruple.  Ever  since,  I 
have  seen  clearly  the  mistake  I  made — a  mistake  that  is 
vtsj  common  n  these  days,  what  tncmtom  teach^  on 


if 


4* 


A  RETROSFECT 


faith-healing  does  much  harm,  misleading  some  as  to  the 
purposes  of  God,  shaking  the  faith  of  others,  and  distress- 
ing the  minds  of  many.  The  use  of  means  ought  not  to 
lessen  our  faith  in  Gou ;  and  our  faiih  in  God  ought  not 
to  hinder  our  using  whatever  me;ins  He  has  given  us  (or  the 
accomphshment  of  His  own  purposes. 

For  years  after  this  I  ahvays  took  a  swimming-belt  with 
mc,  and  never  had  any  trouble  about  it;  for  after  the 
storm  was  over,  the  question  was  settled  for  me,  through 
the  prayerful  study  of  the  Scriptures.  God  gave  me  then 
to  see  my  mistake,  probably  to  deliver  me  from  a  great  deal 
of  trouble  on  similar  questions  now  so  constantly  raised. 
When  in  medical  or  surgical  charge  of  any  case,  I  have 
never  thought  of  neglecting  to  ask  God's  guidance  and 
blessing  in  the  use  of  appropriate  means,  nor  yet  of 
omitting  to  give  Him  thanks  for  answered  prayer  and 
restored  health.  Rut  to  me  it  would  appear  as  pre- 
sumptuous and  wrong  to  neglect  the  use  of  those  measures 
which  He  Himself  has  put  w..iiin  our  reach,  as  to  neglect 
to  take  daily  food,  and  suppose  that  life  and  health  might 
be  maintained  by  prayer  alone. 

The  voyage  was  a  very  tedious  one.  We  lost  a  good 
deal  of  time  on  the  equator  from  calms ;  and  when  we 
finally  reached  the  Eastern  Archipelago,  were  again  detained 
from  the  same  cause.  Usually  a  breeze  would  spring  up 
soon  after  sunset,  and  last  until  about  dawn.  The  utmost 
use  was  made  of  it,  but  during  the  day  we  lay  still  with 
flapping  sails,  often  drifting  back  and  losing  a  good  deal  of 
the  advantage  we  had  gained  during  the  night. 

This  happened  notably  on  one  occasion,  when  we  were 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  north  of  New  Guinea.  Satur- 
day night  had  brought  us  to  a  point  some  thirty  miles  ofT  the 
land ;  but  during  the  Sunday  morning  service,  which  wai 
held  on  deck,  I  could  not  fail  to  notice  that  the  captain 


VOYAGE  TO  CHINA 


43 


looked  troubled,  and  freciuently  went  over  to  the  side  ol 
the  ship.  When  the  service  was  ended,  1  learnt  from  him 
the  cause— a  four-knot  current  was  carrying  us  rapidly  to 
wards  some  sunken  reefs,  and  we  were  already  so  near  that 
it  seemed  improbable  that  we  should  get  through  the  after- 
noon in  safety.  After  dinner  the  long-boat  was  put  out, 
and  all  hands  endeavoured,  without  success,  to  turn  the 
ship's  head  from  the  shore. 

After  standing  together  on  the  deck  for  some  time  in 
silence,  the  captain  said  to  me,  "  Well,  we  have  done  every- 
thing that  can  be  done ;  we  can  only  await  the  result."  A 
thought  occurred  to  me,  and  I  replied,  "  No,  there  is  one 
thing  we  have  not  done  yet."  "What  is  it?"  he  queried. 
"Four  of  us  on  board  are  Christians,"  I  answered  (the 
Swedish  carpenter  and  our  coloured  steward,  with  the 
captain  and  myselO  ;  "  let  us  each  retire  to  his  own  cabin, 
and  in  agreed  prayer  ask  the  Lord  to  give  us  immediately 
a  breeze.    He  can  as  easily  send  it  now  as  at  sunset." 

The  captain  complied  with  this  proposal.  I  went  and 
spoke  to  the  other  two  men,  and  after  prayer  with  the  car- 
penter we  all  four  retired  to  wait  upon  God.  I  had  a  good 
but  very  hriei  season  in  prayer,  and  then  felt  so  satisfied  that 
our  reijuest  was  granted  that  1  could  not  continue  asking, 
and  very  soon  went  up  again  on  deck.  The  first  officer, 
a  godless  man,  was  in  charge.  I  went  over  and  asked  him 
to  let  down  the  clews  or  corners  of  the  mainsail,  which 
had  been  drawn  up  in  order  to  lessen  the  useless  flapping 
of  the  sail  against  the  rigi^ing.  He  answered,  "  What  would 
be  the  good  of  that?"  I  told  him  we  had  been  asking 
a  wind  from  C.un,  that  it  was  coming  immediately,  and  we 
were  so  near  the  reef  by  this  time  that  there  was  not  a 
minute  to  lose.  W  ith  a  look  of  incredulity  and  contempt, 
he  said  with  an  oath  that  he  would  rather  see  a  wind  than 
hear  of  it !    But  while  he  was  speaking  I  watched  his  eye, 


44 


A  RETROSPECT 


and  followed  it  up  to  the  royal  (the  topmost  sail),  and 
there,  sure  enough,  the  comer  of  the  sail  was  beginning 
to  tremble  in  the  coming  breeze.  "  Don't  you  see  the 
wind  is  coming  ?  Look  at  the  royal ! "  I  exclaimed.  "  No, 
it  is  only  a  cat's-paw,"  he  rejoined  (a  mere  puff  of  wind). 
"  Cat's-paw  or  not,"  I  cried,  "  pray  let  down  the  mainsail, 
and  let  us  have  the  beccfit ! " 

This  he  was  not  slow  to  do.  In  another  minute  the 
heavy  tread  of  the  men  on  the  deck  brought  up  the 
captain  from  his  cabin  to  see  what  was  the  matter ;  and  he 
saw  that  the  breeze  had  indeed  come.  In  a  few  minutes 
we  were  ploughing  our  way  at  six  or  seven  knots  an  hour 
through  the  water.  We  were  soon  out  of  danger ;  and 
though  the  wind  was  sometimes  unsteady,  we  did  not 
altogether  lose  it  until  after  passing  the  Pelew  Islands. 

Thus  God  encouraged  me,  ere  landing  on  China's 
shores,  to  bring  every  variety  of  need  to  Him  in  prayer, 
and  to  expect  that  He  would  honour  the  Name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  give  the  help  which  each  emergency  required. 


CHAPTER  IX 


EARLY  MISSIONARY  EXPERH?!fCES 

ON  landing  in  Shanghai  oi.  ist  March  1854,  I  found 
myself  surrounded  with  difficulties  that  were  wiiolly 
unexpected.  A  band  of  rebels,  known  as  the  "  Red  Turbans," 
had  taken  possession  of  the  native  city,  agi^t  vrhkh  was 
encamped  an  Imperial  army  of  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand 
men,  who  were  a  much  greater  source  of  discomfort  and 
danger  to  the  little  European  community  than  were  the 
rebels  themselves.  Upon  landing  I  was  t<^  that  to  live 
outside  the  Settlement  was  impossible,  while  within  the 
foreign  concession  apartments  were  scarcely  obtainable  at 
any  price.  The  dollar,  now  worth  about  three  shillings, 
had  risen  to  a  value  of  eight-and-ninepence,  and  tiK 
prospect  for  one  with  only  a  small  income  of  English 
money  was  dark  indeed.  However,  I  had  three  letters  of 
introduction,  and  counted  on  counsel  and  help,  especially 
from  one  o(  those  to  whom  I  had  been  commended,  whose 
friends  I  well  knew  and  highly  valued.  Of  course  I  sought 
him  out  at  once,  but  only  to  learn  that  he  had  been  buried 
a  month  or  two  before,  having  died  from  fever  during  the 
time  of  my  voyage. 

Saddened  these  tidinp,  I  inquired  fot  a  mis^m. 
ary  to  whom  another  of  my  letters  of  introduction  was 
■ddicssed }  Iwt  a  fiurthw  (bi^^p^m^  awaited  me— 


46 


A  RETROSPECT 


had  left  for  America.  The  third  letter  remained ;  but  as 
it  had  been  given  by  a  comparative  stranger,  I  had 
expected  less  from  it  than  from  the  other  two.    It  pro\-ed, 

however,  to  be  Cod's  cliannel  of  help.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Medhurst,  of  the  London  Mission,  to  whom  it  was 
addressed,  introduced  me  to  Dr.  Lockhart,  who  kindly 
allowed  me  to  live  with  him  for  six  months.  Dr. 
Medhurst  procured  my  first  Chinese  teacher ;  and  he,  Dr. 
Edkins,  and  the  late  Mr.  Alexander  Wyiie  gave  me 
considerable  help  with  the  langUt.ge. 

Those  were  indeed  troublous  times,  and  times  of 
danger.  Coming  out  of  the  city  one  day  with  Mr.  Wylie, 
he  entced  into  conversation  with  two  coolies,  while  we 
waited  a  little  while  at  the  East  Gate  for  a  companion  who 
was  behind  us.  Before  our  companion  came  up  an  attack 
upon  the  city  from  the  batteries  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  commenced,  which  caused  us  to  hurry  away  to  a  place 
of  less  danger,  the  whiz  of  the  balls  being  unpleasantly  near. 
The  coolies,  unfortunately,  stayed  too  long,  and  were 
wounded.  On  reaching  the  Settlement  we  stopped  a 
few  minutes  to  make  a  purchase,  and  then  proceeded  at 
once  to  the  London  Mission  compound,  where,  at  the 
door  of  the  hospital,  we  found  the  two  poor  coolies 
with  whom  Mr.  Wylie  had  conversed,  their  four  ankles 
terribly  shattered  by  a  cannon  ball.  The  poor  fellows 
declined  aniinitation,  and  both  died.  We  felt  how  narrow 
had  been  our  escape. 

At  another  time,  early  in  the  morning,  I  had  joined  one 
of  the  missionaries  on  his  verandah  to  watch  the  battle 
proceeding,  at  a  distance  of  perhaps  three-quarters  of  a 
mile,  when  suddenly  a  spent  ball  jiassed  between  us  and 
buried  itself  in  the  verandah  wall.  Another  day  my  friend 
Mr.  Wylie  left  a  book  on  the  table  after  luncheon,  and 
returning  for  it  about  five  minutes  later,  found  the  arm  of 


EARLY  MISSIONARY  EXPEKIENCES 


47 


the  chair  on  which  he  had  been  sitting  shot  clean  away. 
But  in  the  midst  of  these  and  many  other  dangers  God 
protected  us. 

After  six  montlis'  stay  with  Dr.  Lockhart,  I  rented  a 
native  house  outside  the  Settlement,  and  commenced  a 
little  missionary  work  amongst  my  Chinese  neighbours, 
which  for  a  few  months  continued  practicable.  When  the 
French  joined  the  Imperialists  in  attacking  the  city,  the 
position  of  my  house  became  so  dangerous  that  during 
the  last  few  weeks,  in  consequence  of  nightly  recurring 
skirmishes,  I  gave  up  attc  uipting  to  sleep  except  in  the 
daytime.  One  night  a  fire  appeared  very  near,  and  I 
climbed  up  to  a  little  observatory  1  had  arranged  on  the 
roof  of  the  house,  to  see  •■  Iiether  it  was  necessary  to  attempt 
escape.  While  there  a  ball  struck  the  ridge  of  the  roof  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  quadrangle,  showering  pieces  of 
broken  tile  all  around  me,  while  the  ball  itself  rolled  down 
into  the  court  below.  It  weighed  four  or  five  pounds; 
and  had  it  come  a  few  inches  higher,  would  probablv  have 
spent  its  force  on  me  instead  of  on  the  building,  i.^^  dear 
mother  kept  the  ball  for  many  years.    Shortly  after  this  I  had 

to  abandon  the  house  and  return  to  the  Foreign  Settlement  

a  step  that  was  taken  none  too  soon,  for  before  the  last  of  my 
belongings  were  removed,  th  house  was  burnt  to  the  ground 

Of  the  trials  of  this  early  period  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  convey  any  adequate  idea.  To  one  of  a  sensitive 
nature,  the  horrors,  atrocities,  and  misery  connected  with 
war  were  a  terrible  ordeal.  The  embarrassment  also  of 
the  times  was  considerable.  A\'ii .  an  income  of  only 
eighty  pounds  a  year,  I  was  compelled,  ii[)on  moving  into 
the  Settlement,  to  give  one  hundred  and  twenty  for  rent, 
and  sublet  half  the  house ;  and  though  the  Committee  of 
the  Chinese  Evangelisation  Society  increased  my  income 
wh«i,  after  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Parker,  they  learned  more  of 


♦«  A  RETR08P1CT 

our  drcumstances,  many  painful  experiences  had  necessarily 
been  passed  through.  Few  can  realise  how  distressing  to 
so  young  and  untried  a  worker  these  difficulties  seemed,  or 
the  intense  loneliness  of  the  position  of  a  pioneer  who  could 
not  even  hint  at  many  of  his  circumstances,  as  to  do  so 
WMild  have  been  a  tacit  ai^>eal  for  helpi. 

The  great  enemy  is  always  ready  with  his  oft-repeated 
suggestion,  "All  these  things  are  against  me."    But  oh 
how  fidse  the  word  1    The  cold,  and  even  the  hunger,  the 
watchmgs  and  sleeplessness  of  nights  of  danger,  and  the 
feeling  at  times  of  utter  isolation  and  helplessness,  were 
well  and  wisely  chosen,  and  tenderly  and  lovingly  meted 
out    What  circumstances  could  have  rendered  the  Word 
of  God  more  sweet,  the  presence  of  God  more  real,  the 
help  of  God  more  precious?   They  were  times,  indeed,  of 
emptymg  and  humbling,  but  were  experiences  that  made 
not  ashamed,  and  that  strengthened  purpose  to  go  forward 
as  God  might  direct,  with  His proied  promise,  "I  will  not 
fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee."    One  can  see,  even  now,  that 
"as  for  God,  His  way  is  perfect,"  and  yet  um  rejoice  that 
the  missionary  path  of  to-day  U  comparatively  a  smooth  and 
an  easy  one. 

Journeying  mland  was  contrary  to  treaty  arrangements, 
and  attended  with  much  difficu'*y,  especially  for  some  time 
after  the  battle  of  Muddy  Flat,  i.i  which  an  Anglo-American 
contingent  of  about  three  hundred  marines  and  seamen, 
with  a  volunteer  corps  of  less  than  a  hundred  residents,' 
attacked  the  Imperial  carnR  and  drove  away  from  thirty  to 
fifty  thousand  Chinese  soldiers,  the  range  of  our  shot  and 
shell  making  the  native  artillery  useless.     Still,  in  the 
autumn  of  1854  a  journey  of  perhaps  a  week's  duration 
was  safely  accomplished  with  Dr.  Edkins,  who  of  course 
did  the  speaking  and  preaching,  while  I  was  able  to  help 
in  the  di^buUon  of  books. 


CHAPTER  X 


FIRST  EVANGELISTIC  EFFORTS 

A JOURNEY  taken  in  the  spring  of  1855  wiih  the 
Rev.  J.  S.  Burdon  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
(now  the  Bishop  of  Victoria,  Hong-kong)  was  attended  with 
some  serious  dangers. 

In  the  great  mouth  of  the  river  Yang-tse,  distant  some 
thirty  miles  to  the  north  of  Shanghai,  lies  the  group  of 
islands  of  which  Ts'ung-ming  and  Hai-men  are  the  largest 
and  most  important;  and  farth.'r  up  the  river,  where 
the  estuary  narrows  away  from  the  sea,  is  situated  the 
influential  city  of  Tung-chau,  close  to  Lang-shan,  or  the 
Wolf  Mountains,  famous  as  a  resort  for  pilgrim  devotees. 
We  spent  some  time  in  evangeh'sing  on  tho.'^e  islands,  and 
then  proceeded  to  Lang-shan,  where  we  preached  and  gave 
books  to  thousands  of  the  devotees  who  were  attending  an 
idolatrous  festival  From  thence  we  wait  on  to  Tung- 
chau,  and  of  our  painful  experiences  there  the  following 
Journal  will  tell : — 

I    Thursday,  April  26th,  1855. 

Af^er  breakfast  we  commended  ourselves  to  the  care  of 
our  Heavenly  Father,  and  sought  His  Messing  before  pro- 
ceeding to  this  great  city.  The  day  was  dull  and  wet.  We 
felt  persuaded  that  Satan  would  not  allow  us  to  assail  his 
kingdom,  as  we  were  attempting  to  do,  without  raising 

E 


5°  A  RETROSPECT 

serious  opposition ;  but  we  were  also  fully  assured  that  if 
WM  the  will  of  God  that  we  should  preach  Christ  in  this 
city,  and  distribute  the  Word  of  Truth  among  its  people 
Ue  were  sorry  that  we  had  but  few  books  left  for  such  an 
important  place:  the  result,  however,  proved  that  this  also 
was  providential 

Our  native  teachers  did  their  best  to  persuade  us  not  to 
go  into  the  city;  but  we  determined  that,  by  God's  helpL 
nothing  should  hinder  us.    We  direcied  them,  however  to 
renrnm  m  one  of  the  boats;  and  if  we  did  not  return'  to 
learn  whatever  they  could  respecting  our  fate,  and  make  all 
possible  haste  to  Shanghai  with  the  information.    We  also 
arranged  that  the  other  boat  should  wait  for  us,  even  if  we 
could  not  get  back  that  night,  so  that  we  might  not  be 
detained  for  want  of  a  boat  in  case  of  returning  later.  We 
then  put  our  books  into  two  bags,  and  with  a  servant  who 
always  accompanied  us  on  these  occasions,  set  off  for  the 
city,  distant  about  seven  miles.    Walking  was  out  of  the 
question,  from  the  state  of  the  roads,  so  we  availed  our- 
selves of  wheel-barrows,  the  only  conveyance  to  be  had  in 
these  parts.    A  wheel  barrow  is  cheaper  than  a  sedan,  only 
requ.rn:g  one  coolie ;  but  is  by  no  means  an  agreeable 
conveyance  on  rough,  di.ty  roads. 

We  had  not  gone  far  before  the  servant  requested 
permission  to  go  back,  as  he  was  thoroughly  frightened  by 
reports  concerning  the  native  soldiery.  Of  course  we  at 
once  consented,  not  wishing  to  involve  another  in  trouble 
and  determined  to  carry  the  books  ourselves,  and  look  foi 
physical  as  weU  as  spiritual  strength  to  Him  who  had 
promised  to  supply  all  our  need. 

At  this  point  a  respectable  man  came  up,  and  earnestly 
warned  us  against  proceeding,  saying  that  if  we  did  we 
should  find  to  our  sorrow  what  the  Tung-chau  militia  were 
hke.    We  thanked  him  for  his  kindly  counsel,  but  could 


FIRST  EVANGEUSTIC  EFFORTS  S* 


not  act  upon  it,  as  oar  hearts  were  fixed.  Whether  it  were 
to  bonds,  imprisonment,  and  death,  or  whether  to  distribute 
our  Scriptures  and  tracts  in  safety,  and  return  unhurt,  we 
knew  not ;  bat  we  were  determined,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
not  to  leave  Tung-chau  any  longer  without  the  Gospel,  nor 
its  teeming  thousands  to  die  in  uncved-for  ignorance  <rf 
the  Way  of  Hfe. 

After  this  my  wheel -barrow  man  would  proceed  no 
farther,  and  I  had  to  seek  another,  who  was  fortunately  not 
difficult  to  find.  As  we  went  on,  the  ride  in  the  mud  and 
rain  was  anything  but  agreeable,  and  we  could  not  help 
feeling  the  danger  of  our  position,  although  wavering  not 
for  a  moment.  At  intervals  we  encouraged  one  another 
with  promises  frcmi  the  Scripture  and  verses  <rf  hymns. 
That  verse — 

"The  perils  of  the  sea,  the  perils  of  the  land, 
Should  not  dishearten  thee :  thy  LORD  is  nigh  at  hand. 
But  should  thy  courage  fail,  when  tried  and  sore  oppressed, 
His  promise  shall  avail,  and  set  thy  soul  at  rest" 

seemed  particularly  appropriate  to  our  circumstances,  and 
was  very  comforting  to  m& 

On  our  way  we  passed  through  one  small  town  of  about 
a  thousand  inhabitants ;  and  here,  in  the  Mandarin  dialect, 
I  preached  Jesus  to  a  good  number  of  people.  Never  was 
I  so  happy  in  speaking  of  the  love  of  GoD  and  the  atone- 
ment of  Jesus  Christ.  My  own  soul  was  richly  blessed, 
and  filled  with  joy  and  peace;  and  I  was  able  to  speak 
with  unusual  freedom  and  ease.  And  how  rejoiced  I  was 
when,  afterwards,  I  heard  one  of  our  hearers  repeating  to 
the  newcomers,  in  his  own  local  dialect,  the  truths  upon 
which  I  had  been  dwelling  I  Oh,  how  thankful  I  felt  to 
hear  a  Chinaman,  of  his  own  accord,  telling  his  fellow- 
countrymen  that  God  loved  them  j  that  they  were  sinners, 


A  RETROSPECT 


but  that  Jesus  died  instcnd  of  them,  and  paid  the  penalty 
of  their  guilt.  That  one  moment  repaid  me  for  all  the 
trials  we  had  passed  through ;  and  I  felt  iliat  if  the  Lord 
should  grant  His  Holy  Spirit  to  change  the  heart  of  that 
man,  we  had  not  rome  in  vain. 

We  distributed  a  few  Testaments  and  tracts,  for  the 
people  were  able  to  read,  and  we  could  not  leave  them 
without  the  GospeL  It  was  well  that  we  did  so,  for  when 
we  reached  T'ung-chau  we  found  we  had  quite  as  many  left 
as  we  had  strength  to  carry. 

Nearing  the  end  of  our  journey,  as  we  approaclie  .he 
western  suburb  of  the  city,  the  prayer  of  the  irly 
Christians,  when  persecution  was  commencing,  camt  o  my 
mind:  "And  now,  Lord,  behold  their  threatenings,  and 
grant  unto  Thy  servants  that  with  all  boldness  they  may 
Speak  Thy  Word."  In  this  petition  we  most  heartily 
united  Before  entering  the  suburf)  we  laid  our  plans,  so 
as  to  act  in  concert,  and  told  our  wheel -barrow  men 
where  to  await  us,  that  they  might  not  be  involved  in 
any  trouble  or  our  account.  Then  looking  up  to  our 
Heavenly  FATh.:R,  we  committed  ourselves  to  His  keeping, 
took  our  books,  and  set  off  for  the  city. 

For  some  distance  we  walked  along  the  principal  street 
of  the  suburb  leading  to  the  West  (late  unmolested,  and 
were  amused  at  the  unusual  title  of  Heh-k7vei-tsi  (black 
devils)  which  was  applied  to  us.  We  wondered  about  it 
at  the  time,  but  afterwards  found  that  it  was  our  clc^es, 
and  not  our  skin,  that  gave  rise  to  it.  As  we  passed 
several  of  the  soldiers,  I  remarked  to  Mr.  Burdon  that 
these  were  the  men  we  had  heard  so  much  about,  and  that 
they  seemed  willing  to  receive  us  quietly  enough.  I^ng 
before  we  reached  the  gate,  however,  a  tall  powerful  man, 
made  tenfold  fiercer  by  partial  intoxication,  let  us  know 
that  all  the  militia  were  not  so  peaceably  inclined,  by  seizing 


FIRST  EVANGEUSnC  EFFORTS  Si 

Mr.  Burdon  by  the  shoulders.    My  companion  endeavoured 

to  shake  him  off.  I  turned  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  at  once  we  were  surrounded  by  a  dozen  or  more  brutal 
men,  wlio  hurried  us  on  to  the  city  at  a  fearful  pace 

My  bag  now  began  to  feel  very  heavy,  and  I  could  not 
change  hands  to  relieve  myself.  I  was  soon  in  a  profuse 
perspiration,  and  was  scarcely  able  to  keej)  pace  with  them. 
We  demanded  to  be  taken  before  the  chief  magistrate,  but 
were  told  that  they  knew  where  to  take  us,  and  what  to  do 
with  such  persons  as  we  were,  with  the  most  insulting 
epithets.  The  man  who  first  seized  Mr.  Burdon  soon  after- 
wards left  him  for  me,  and  became  my  principal  tormentor  j 
for  I  was  neither  so  tall  not  so  strong  as  my  friend,  and 
was  therefore  less  able  to  resist  him.  He  all  but  knocked 
me  down  again  and  again,  seized  me  by  the  hair,  took  hold 
of  my  collar  so  as  to  almost  choke  me,  and  grasped  my 
arms  and  shoulders,  making  them  black  and  blue.  Had 
this  treatment  continued  much  longer,  X  must  have  fainted. 
All  but  exhausted,  how  refreshing  was  the  remembrance  of 
a  verse  quoted  by  my  dear  mother  in  one  of  my  last  home 
letters — 

•♦We  speak  of  the  reahns  of  the  blest. 
That  country  so  bright  and  so  feir. 
And  oft  are  its  glories  confessed  ; 
But  what  must  it  be  to  be  there  I " 

To  be  absent  from  the  body  1  to  be  present  with  the  Ix)RD  ! 
to  be  free  from  sin !    And  this  is  the  end  ol  the  worst  that 

man's  malice  can  e\'er  bring  upon  us. 

As  we  were  walking  along  Mr.  Burdon  tried  to  give 
away  a  few  books  that  he  was  carrying,  not  knowing 

whether  we  might  have  another  opportunity  of  doing  so ; 
but  the  fearful  rage  of  the  soldier,  and  the  way  he  insisted 
on  manacles  being  brought,  which  fortunately  were  not  at 


TKOSPl 


hand,  convinced  iS  tk  in  our  present  position  we  could 
do  no  good  in  atteinp  a.-  book-distribution.  I  here  was 
nothing  to  be  done  but  quietly  to  robmit,  and  go  aloiw 
with  our  captor"; 

Once  or  twice  a  quarrel  aro    as  to  how  -c  should  be 
deak  with;  the  more  mild  of  our  conductors  saying  that 
we  ought  to  be  taken  to  the  magistrate's  office,  but  others 
wishing  to  kill  us  at  once  without  appeal  to  any  authority. 
Our  minds  were  kept  in  perfect  pc  r^e ;  and  when  throwrl 
together  on  one  of  these  occasions,  we  reminded  each  other 
that  the  Aposdes  rejoiced  that  they  were  counted  worthy 
to  suffer  -n  the  cause  of  Christ.    Having  succeeded  in 
getting  my  hand  into  my  pocket,  I  produced  a  Chinese 
card  (if  the  large  red  paper,  hearing  ore's  mmc,  may  be  so 
called),  and  after  this  was  treated  with  more  respect.  I 
demanded  it  should  be  given  to  the  chief  offidal  of  the 
place,  and  that  we  should  be  led  to  his  office.    Before  this 
we  had  been  unable,  say  what  w  would,  to  persuade  them  that 
we  were  foreigners,  although  we  were  both  in  English  attire. 

Oh  the  long  weary  streets  that  we  were  dragged  through  I 
I  thought  they  would  never  end ;  and  sekhmi  have  I  felt 
more  thankful  than  when  we  stopped  at  n  place  where  we 
were  told  a  mandarin  resided.    Quite  exh.,    ted,  bathed  in 
pmpiration,  and  with  my  tongue  cleavin    to  the  roof  of 
my  mouth,  I  leaned  against  the  wall,  and  saw  that  Mr. 
Burdon  was  in  mu'^  the  same  conr^  -ion.    I  requested 
them  to  bring  us  chairs,  but  they  told     ;  t  >  wait .  and 
when  I  begged  then  to  give  us  son    tea,  received  only 
the  same  answer.     Round  the  doorway  a  large  crowd 
had  gathered  ;  and  Mr.  Burdon,  collec:      his  rna^ing 
strength,  preached  Christ  Jksus  to  then;     Ou,  c   ds  £  d 
bocAs  had  been  taken  in  to  the  mandarin,    .t  he  pr  vc 
be  one  of  low  rank,  and  after  keeping  us  waiui^  for 
time  he  referred  us  to  his  st^riors  in  office 


KIKST  I  VAN      Mo  '  ir  ri  ■  ORTS 


55 


Upon  1    iring  thi  .  and    "  i.ng  '      it  wa     ,cir  irposc 
to  turn  us  o  it  again  into  il.   v.row    .  sire«i    we  positively 
neAiscd  to  move  a  sir  'le  step,  aad  titled  c  n  clHun  being 
brot^ht.    A  icr  some  demu'  this  was  dor      we  seated 
ourselves  ;n    hem,  irn.  were  •   rried  oflf.    Oi    the  road  we 
kit  so  guid  u;  ihc     t  which  twc  chairs  affui'led  us,  anJ  so 
thant^l  at  lutving  been  able  to  preach  Jesus  in  spite  <rf 
SMk's  aaltee,  that  our  joy  was  depicted  on  otnr  connte- 
n     -s  ,  and  a        _»assed  along  we  heard  some      th,  • 
did     t  look  ike  uad  men,  while  others  sec;    d  to  pit\ 
When  we  arrived  at  the  magistrate's  office,  1  v  ^ndcti  , 
«^ere  we        being  tiken ;  for  though  we  passec  through 
•ome  great  f;at€s  th  t !      ■<!  like  those  of  the  city  " 
W' rc  still  e\  i-  itly  w      >  the  city.    A  second 
gate   lUggciti  1  the  idea  that  it  was  a  prison  int        .  ii 
wee  b&ag  carried ;  but  when  we  came  in  sight     a  latj^. 
tablet,  with  the  inscription  "i1////^t7///M;A'   '(th     ther  and 
iiiother  <  f  th*    >eopl''\  we  felt  that  we  ha.    >f    .  c.  ved 
to  the  li^ht  j  ice;  this  being  the  title  a       ed  oy  the 
niandarif 

Our  c  were  again  sent  in,  and  after  a  hort  delay  we 
were  tak._n  i  o  the  presence  of  Ch'en  Ta  i-ie  (the  Great 
Venerable  iather  Ch'en),  who,  as  it  pn  vei  ^d  formerly 
been  Tao-tai  of  Shanghai,  and  conse  n  ai>  knew  the 
importance  oi  treating  foreigners  with  cwur^y.  Coming 
before  him,  some  of  the  people  fell  on  their  k.iecs  and 
bowed  down  to  the  ground,  and  my  conductor  liiotioned 
for  me  to  do  the  same,  but  without  success.  Th» 
mandarin,  who  seemed  to  be  the  highest  authority  of 
Tung-chau,  and  wore  an  opaque  blue  'mtton  on  his  cap, 
came  out  to  meet  us.  and  treated  us  -it!  evw  j.ossible 
token  of  respect.  He  took  u=  tc-  ar  nner  apanment,  a 
more  private  room,  but  was  teMiowed  by  a  k^ge  nunsber 
ot  writen,  runners,  and  oth«-  tMnu-offidi^    I  vika^  ikt 


56 


A  RETROSPECT 


object  of  our  visit,  and  begged  permission  to  give  him  copies 
of  our  books  and  tracts,  for  whicli  he  thanked  nio.  As  I 
handed  h<m  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  with  part  of 
the  Old  (from  Genesis  to  Ruth)  and  some  tracts,  I  tried 
to  explain  a  little  about  them,  and  also  to  give  him  a  brief 
summary  of  our  teachings.  .  .  .  He  listened  very  attentively, 
as  of  course  did  all  the  others  present.  He  then  ordered 
some  refreshments  to  be  brought  in,  which  were  very 
welcome,  and  himself  partook  of  them  with  us. 

After  a  long  stay,  we  asked  permission  to  see  something 
of  the  city,  and  to  distribute  the  books  we  had  brought, 
before  our  return.  To  this  he  kindly  consented.  We  then 
mentioned  that  we  had  been  most  disrespectfully  treated  as 
we  came  in,  but  that  we  did  not  attach  much  importance 
to  the  fact,  being  aware  that  the  soldiers  knew  no  better. 
Not  desiring,  however,  to  have  such  an  experience  repeated, 
we  requested  him  to  give  orders  that  we  were  not  to  be 
further  molested.  This  also  he  promised  to  do,  and  with 
every  possible  token  of  respect  accompanied  us  to  the  door 
of  his  official  residence,  sending  several  runners  to  see  that 
we  were  respectfully  treated  We  distributed  our  books 
well  and  quickly,  and  left  the  city  quite  in  state.  It  was 
amusing  to  us  to  see  the  way  in  which  the  runners  made 
use  of  their  tails.  When  the  street  was  blocked  by  the 
crowd,  they  turned  them  into  whips,  and  laid  them  about 
the  people's  shoulders  to  right  and  left  i 

We  had  a  little  troubte  in  finding  our  wheel-barrows; 
but  eventually  succeeding,  we  paid  off  the  chair  coolies, 
mounted  our  humble  vehicles,  and  returned  to  the  river, 
accompanied  for  fully  half  the  distance  by  an  attendant 
from  the  magisiiate's  iMcc.  Early  in  the  evening  we  gcA 
back  to  the  boats  in  safety,  sincerely  thankful  to  our 
Heavenly  Father  for  His  gracious  protection  and  aid. 


CHAPTER  XI 


WITH  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNS 

AFTER  the  retaking  of  Shanghai  by  the  Imperialists, 
in  February  1855,  I  was  erjabled  to  rent  a  house 
within  the  walls  of  the  native  city,  and  gladly  availed 
myself  of  this  opportunity  to  reside  amidst  the  crowded 
population  left  to  inhabit  tlie  ruins  that  had  survived  the 
war.  Here  I  made  my  headquarters,  though  often  absent 
on  more  or  less  prolonged  itinerations. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Rev.  D--  Medhurst,  the  veteran 
leader  of  the  London  Mission,  I  was  led  at  about  this  period 
to  adopt  the  native  costume  in  preference  to  foreign  dress, 
to  faciliute  travel  and  residence  inland.  The  Chinese  had 
permitted  a  foreign  firm  to  build  a  silk  factory  some 
distance  inland,  with  the  proviso  that  the  style  of  build- 
ing must  be  purely  Chinese,  and  that  there  should  be 
nothing  external  to  suggest  that  it  was  foreign.  Much 
benefit  was  found  to  result  from  this  change  of  costume ; 
and  I,  and  most  of  those  a=sociat«i  with  me,  have  con- 
tinued to  use  native  dress.  _ 

The  T'ai-p'ing  rebellion  ommenced  in  1851,  had  by 
this  time  reached  the  height  of  its  ephemeral  success.  The 
great  city  <rf  Nan-king  had  ta' len  before  the  invading  host ; 
and  there,  within  two  hundred  miles  of  Shanghai,  the  rebels 
had  established  their  headquarters,  and  proceeded  to  fortify 


5» 


A  RETROSrECT 


themselves  for  further  conquests.  During  the  summer  ol 
1855  various  attempts  were  made  to  visit  the  leaders  o( 
the  movement,  in  order  to  bring  to  bear  some  decidedly 
Christian  influence  upon  them ;  but  so  little  success  was 
met  with,  that  these  efforts  were  abandoned. 

I,  amongst  others,  had  sought  to  reach  Nan-king ;  but 
finding  it  impossible  to  do  so,  turned  my  attention  again  to 
evangelistic  work  on  the  island  of  Ts'ui^-ming.  After 
«me  time  I  was  enabled  so  far  to  overcome  the  prejudice 
and  fears  of  the  people  as  to  rent  a  little  house  and  settle 
down  in  their  midst.  This  was  a  great  joy  and  encourage- 
ment to  me ;  but  before  many  weeks  were  over  complaints 
were  made  by  the  local  authorities  to  the  British  Consul, 
who  compelled  me  to  retire  ;  though  the  French  Consul 
had  himself  secured  to  the  Romish  missionary  \  property 
within  three  or  four  miles  of  the  house  I  h&d  to  vacate 
Sotdy  tried  and  disappointed  by  this  unexpected  hindrance^ 
I  reluctantly  returned  to  Shanghai,  little  dreaming  <rf  the 
blessing  that  God  had  in  store  for  me  there. 

A  few  months  previously  the  Rev.  William  Burns,  ol 
the  Eng^h  Presbyterian  Mission,  had  arrived  in  that  pwt 
on  his  return  journey  from  home ;  and  before  [Hrotteding 
to  his  former  sphere  of  service  in  the  southern  province 
of  Fu-KiEN,  he  had  endeavoured,  like  myself,  without 
success,  to  visit  the  T'ai-p'ing  rebels  at  Nan-king.  Failing 
in  this  attempt,  he  made  his  headquarters  in  Shanghai  for 
ft  season,  devoting  himself  to  the  evangelisation  of  the  sur- 
rounding populous  regions.  Thus  in  the  autumn  of  the 
year  I  was  providentially  led  into  association  with  this 
bdoved  and  honoured  servant  of  God. 

We  journeyed  together,  evangelising  cities  and  towns  in 
southern  Kiang-su  and  north  Cheh-kiang,  living  in  our 
boats,  and  following  the  course  of  the  canals  and  rivers 
which  here  spread  like  a  network  over  the  whde  face  ol 


WITH  THE  REV.  .VILLIAM  BURNS  59 

the  rich  and  fertile  country.  Mr.  Burns  at  that  time  was 
wearing  English  dress;  but  saw  that  white  I  was  l*ie 
younger  and  in  every  way  less  experienced,  I  had  the  quiet 
hearers,  while  lie  was  followed  by  the  rude  boys,  and  by 
the  curious  hut  careless ;  that  I  was  invited  to  the  homes 
of  the  people,  while  he  received  an  apology  that  the  crowd 
that  would  follow  precluded  his  being  invited  Aftr-  tmm 
weeks  of  observation  he  also  adopted  the  native  A-sa,  aaii 
enjoyed  the  increased  facilities  which  it  gave. 

Those  happy  months  were  an  unspeakable  joy  and 
privilege  to  me.  His  love  for  the  Word  was  delightful, 
and  his  holy,  reverential  life  and  constant  communings 
with  God  made  fellowship  with  him  satisfying  to  the  deep 
cravings  of  my  heart.  His  accounts  of  revival  work  and 
of  persecutions  in  Canada,  and  Dublin,  and  in  Southern 
China  were  most  instructive,  as  well  at  interesting;  ftw 
with  true  spiritual  insight  he  often  pointed  out  God's  pur- 
poses in  trial  in  a  way  that  made  all  life  assume  quite  a 
new  aspect  and  value.  His  views  especially  about  evan- 
gelism  as  the  great  work  of  the  Church,  and  the  order  ol 
te-y  ev?ngdists  as  a  lost  order  that  Scripture  required  to  be 
rv  store  1,  were  seed-thoughts  which  were  to  prove  fruitful  in 
th.  •  Jsequent  organisation  of  the  China  Inland  Mission. 

Externally,  however,  our  path  was  not  always  a  smooth 
one;  but  when  permitted  to  stay  for  any  length  of  time  in 
town  or  city,  the  opportunity  was  well  utilised.  We  were 
in  the  habit  of  leaving  our  boats,  after  prayer  for  blessing, 
at  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  a  light  bamboo 
■tool  in  hand.  Selecting  a  suitable  stati<m.  «ie  would 
mount  the  stool  and  speak  for  twenty  minutes,  while  the 
other  was  pleading  for  blessing ;  and  then  changing  places, 
the  voice  of  the  first  speaker  had  a  rest.  After  an  hour  or 
two  thus  occupied,  we  would  move  on  to  another  point  at 
tome  ditUnce  from  the  first,  and  speak  again.  Usually 


te 


A  RETROSPECT 


about  midday  we  returned  to  our  boats  for  dinner,  fellow- 
ship, and  prayer,  and  then  resumed  our  out-door  work 
until  dusk.  After  tea  and  further  rest,  we  would  go  with 
our  native  helpers  to  some  tea-shop^  where  several  hours 
might  be  spent  in  free  conversation  with  the  people.  Not 
infrequently  before  leaving  a  town  we  had  good  reason  to 
believe  that  much  truth  had  been  grasped ;  and  we  placed 
many  Scriptures  and  books  in  the  hands  of  those  interested. 

The  following  letter  was  written  by  Mr.  Btuns  to  his 
BM)ther  at  home  in  Scotland  about  this  time : — 

"TWSNTT-nVE  MILES  FROM  SlIANOHAI, 
"January  a6iA,  1856. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  rainy  day  which  omfines  me  to 
my  boat,  I  pen  a  few  lines,  in  addition  to  a  letter  to  Dundee, 
containing  particulars  which  I  need  not  repeat.  It  is  now 
forty-one  days  since  I  left  Shanghai  on  this  last  occasion. 
A  yoang  English  missionary,  Mr.  Taylor,  of  the  CbinMC 
Evangelisation  Society,  has  been  my  companion  during  these 
weeks — he  in  his  boat,  and  I  in  mine — and  we  have  ex- 
perienced much  mercy,  and  on  some  occasions  considerable 
assistUKe  in  our  wwk. 

"  I  must  once  more  tell  the  story  I  have  had  to  tell 
already  more  than  once — how  four  weeks  ago,  on  December 
29th,  I  put  on  the  Chinese  dress,  which  I  am  now  wearing. 
Mr.  Taylor  had  made  this  change  a  few  months  before,  and 
I  found  that  he  was,  in  consequence,  so  much  less  incom- 
moded in  preaching,  etc.,  by  the  crowd,  that  I  concluded  it 
was  my  duty  to  follow  his  example.  We  were  at  that  time 
more  than  double  the  distance  from  Shanghai  that  we  arc 
now,  and  would  still  have  been  at  as  great  a  distance  had 
we  not  met  at  one  place  with  a  band  of  lawless  people,  who 
demamkd  money  Md  threatened  to  break  oar  boats  if  their 
demands  were  refused.  The  boatmen  were  very  much 
alarmed,  and  insisted  on  returning  to  some  place  nearer 
home.    These  people  had  previously  brdcen  in,  vi«riently, 


WITH  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNS  «» 

a  part  of  Mr.  Taylor's  boat,  because  their  unwasonaWe 
demand  for  books  was  not  complied  with. 

"  We  have  a  large,  very  large,  field  of  labour  in  this 
region,  though  it  might  be  difficult  in  the  meantime  for  one 
to  establish  himself  in  any  particular  place;  the  people 
listen  with  attention,  bat  we  need  the  Power  from  on  High 
to  convince  and  convert.  Is  there  any  spirit  of  prayer  on 
our  behalf  among  HoD'S  people  in  Kilsyth  ?  or  is  there  any 
effort  to  seek  this  spirit  ?  How  great  the  need  is,  and  how 
great  the  arguments  and  motives  for  prayer  in  this  case. 
The  harvest  here  is  indeed  great,  and  the  labourers  are  few, 
and  imperfectly  fitted  without  much  grace  for  such  a  work. 
And  yet  grace  can  make  the  few  and  feeble  instruments  the 
mcHS  of  accomplishing  great  things— things  greater  than 
we  can  even  conceive." 

The  incident  referred  to  in  this  letter,  which  led  to  our 
return  to  Shangliai  more  speedily  ihan  we  had  at  first 
intended,  took  place  on  the  northern  border  of  Cheii- 
KiANa  We  had  reached  a  busy  market  town  known  by 
the  name  of  Wu-chen,  or  Black  Town,  the  inhabitants  of 
which,  we  had  been  told,  were  the  wildest  and  most  lawless 
people  in  that  part  of  the  country.  Such  indeed  we  found 
them  to  be :  the  town  was  a  refuge  for  sdt  smugglers  and 
other  bad  characters.  The  following  extracts  are  taken 
from  my  journal,  written  at  the  time  :— 

lamuary  %tk,  1856. 
Commenced  our  work  in  Wu-chen  this  morning  by  dis- 
tributing a  large  number  of  tracts  and  some  Testaments. 
The  people  seemed  much  surprised,  and  we  could  not 
learn  th^t  any  foreigner  had  been  here  before.  We 
preached  twice-once  in  the  temple  of  the  God  of  War 
and  afterwards  in  an  empty  space  left  by  a  fire,  which  had 
completely  destroyed  many  houses.  In  the  afternoon  we 
preKhed  ogjun  to  a  large  and  attentive  audience  on  the 


A  RETROSPECT 


same  site;  and  in  the  evening  adjourned  to  a  tea-shop, 
where  we  had  a  good  opportunity  of  speaking  until  it  got 
lunsed  abroad  that  we  were  there,  when,  too  many  people 
coming  in,  we  were  obliged  to  le-we.  Our  native  assist- 
ants, Tsien  and  Kuei-hua,  were  able,  however,  to  remain. 
Returning  to  our  boats,  we  spoke  to  a  number  of  people 
standing  on  a  bridge,  and  felt  we  had  abundant  reason 
to  be  thankfiil  and  encouraged  by  the  result  of  our  first 
day's  labour. 

January  lolh. 

First  sent  Tsien  and  Kuei  hua  to  distribute  some  sheet 
tracts.    After  their  return  we  went  with  them,  and  in  a 

space  cleared  by  fire  we  separated,  and  addressed  two 
audiences.  On  our  return  to  the  boats  for  lunch,  we 
found  people  waiting,  as  usual,  and  desiring  books.  Some 
were  distributed  to  those  who  were  able  to  read  them ;  and 
then  asking  them  kindly  to  excuse  us  while  we  took  our 
midday  meal,  I  went  into  my  boat  and  shut  the  door. 

Hardly  was  there  time  to  pour  out  a  cup  of  tea  when  a 
battering  began,  and  the  roof  was  at  once  broken  in.  I 
went  out  at  the  back,  and  found  fmir  or  five  men  taking 
the  large  lumps  of  frozen  earth  turned  up  in  a  field  close 
by — weighing,  I  should  suppose,  from  seven  to  fourteen 
pounds  each — and  throwing  them  at  the  boat  Remon 
strance  was  of  no  avail,  and  it  was  not  long  ere  a  consider 
able  pert  of  the  upper  structure  of  the  boat  was  broken  to 
ineccs,  and  a  quantity  of  earth  covered  the  things  inside. 
Finally,  Tsien  got  a  boat  that  was  passing  to  land  him  at  a 
short  distance,  and  by  a  few  tracts  drew  away  the  attention 
of  the  men,  thus  ending  the  assault 

We  now  learned  that  of  those  who  had  done  the 
mischief  only  two  were  natives  of  the  place,  the  others 
being  salt  smugglers,  and  that  the  cause  was  our  not 
having  satisfied  thdr  unreasonable  demand  kit  hockx 


WITH  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNS 


63 


Most  providentially  no  one  was  injured;  and  as  soon  u 
quiet  was  somewhat  restored,  we  all  met  in  Mr.  Buma'i 
boat  and  joined  in  thanksgiving  that  we  had  been  pre- 
served from  personal  harm,  praying  also  for  the  perpetrators 
of  the  mischief,  and  that  it  might  be  over-ruled  for  good  to 
us  and  to  those  with  us.    We  then  took  our  lunch  and 
went  on  shore,  and  but  a  few  steps  from  the  boats 
addressed  a  large  multitude  that  soon  assembled.  We 
were  specially  assisted;  never  were  wc  heard  with  more 
attention,  and  not  one  voice  was  found  to  sympathise  with 
the  men  who  had  molested  us.    In  the  evening,  at  the 
tea-shops,  the  same  spirit  was  manifested,  and  some 
seemed  to  hear  with  joy  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation 
through  a  crucified  and  risen  Saviour. 

As  we  came  home  we  passed  a  barber's  shop  still  open, 
and  I  went  in,  and  while  getting  my  head  shaved  had  an 
c^rtonity  of  speaking  to  a  few  people,  and  afterwards 
pasted  a  coui)le  of  sheet  tracts  on  the  wall  for  the  benefit 
of  future  customers. 

Jamwiry  ittk. 

A  respectaWe  shop-keeper  of  the  name  of  Yao,  who  on 
the  first  or  second  day  of  our  stay  at  Wu  •  '  en  had  received 
portions  of  the  New  Testament  and  a  tract,  came  yesterday, 
when  our  boat  was  broken,  to  beg  for  some  more  books. 
At  that  time  we  were  all  in  confusion  from  the  damage 
don^  and  from  the  earth  thrown  into  the  boat,  and  so 
invited  him  to  come  again  in  a  day  or  two's  time,  when 
we  would  gladly  supply  him.  This  morning  he  appeared 
and  handed  in  the  following  note : — 

"  On  a  former  day  I  be^rged  Burns  and  Taylor,  the  two 
•  Ral'his,'  to  give  me  good  books.    It  happened  at  that 
time  those  of  our  town  whose  hearts  were  deceived  by 
not  knowing  the  S0H  tf  David,  went  so  to  as  to 
dare  to  'rwrti'  «nd  *mor$k'  and  injure  your rwtpected  boat 


*4 


A  RETROSPECT 


I  thank  you  for  promising  afterwards  to  give  the  books, 
and  beg  the  roI!owtng:  Complete  New  Testament,  'Dis- 
course of  a  Good  Man  when  near  his  Death,'  'Important 
Christian  Doctrines,'  an  Almanack,  '  Principles  of  Chris- 
tianity,' 'Way  to  make  the  World  hapi.y,'— of  each  one 
copy.  Sung  and  Tsien,  and  all  teachers  I  hope  are  well. 
Further  compliments  are  unwritten." 

This  note  is  interesting,  as  showing  that  he  had  been 
reading  the  New  Testament  attentively,  as  the  italicised 
words  were  all  taken  from  it.  His  use  of  "  raca "  and 
"moreh"  for  reviling,  shows  their  meaning  was  not  lost 
upon  him. 

After  supplying  this  man,  we  went  out  with  Tsien  and 
Kuei-hua  to  the  east  of  the  town,  and  spoke  in  the  street 
for  a  short  time.    Upon  returning  to  the  boats,  I  was 
visited  by  two  Chih-u  men,  who  are  in  the  magistrate's 
office  here,    I  was  greatly  helped  in  speaking  to  them  oi 
a  crucified  Saviour  in  the  Mandarin  dialect ;  and  though 
one  of  them  did  not  pay  much  attention,  the  other  did, 
and  made  inquiries  that  showed  the  interest  he  was  feeling. 
When  they  had  left,  I  went  on  shore  and  spoke  to  the 
people  collected  .'.ere,  to  whom  Kiici-liua  had  been  preach- 
ing.   The  setting  sun  afforded  a  parable,  and  reminded  one 
of  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  The  night  cometh,  when  no  man 
can  work;"  and  as  I  spoke  of  the  uncertain  duration  of 
this  life,  and  of  our  ignorance  as  to  the  time  of  Christ's 
return,  a  degree  of  deep  seriousness  prevailed  that  I  had 
never  previously  witnessed  in  China.    I  engaged  in  prayer, 
and  the  greatest  decorum  was  observed.    I  then  returned 
to  my  boat  with  a  Buddhist  priest  who  had  been  in  the 
audience,  and  he  admitted  that  Buddhism  was  a  ^tem 
of  deceit  that  could  give  no  hope  in  death. 

January  tatk 

In  the  afternoon  we  addressed  tke  people  on  shore 


WITH  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNS  65 

close  to  our  boats,  also  in  one  of  the  streets  of  the  city, 
and  in  a  tea-shop,  books  being  distributed  on  each  occa- 
sion. In  the  evening  we  went  as  usual  to  speak  in  the 
tea-shops,  but  determined  to  go  to  the  opposite  end  of  the 
town,  in  order  to  afford  those  who  hved  there  a  better 
opportunity  of  meeting  with  us.  it  was  a  long  straggling 
place,  nearly  two  English  miles  in  length.  As  Mr.  Bums 
and  I  were  accustomed  to  talk  together  in  Chinese,  this 
conclusion  was  known  to  those  in  the  boats. 

After  we  had  proceeded  a  short  distance  we  changed 
our  minds,  and  went  instead  to  the  usual  tea-shop,  thinking 
that  persons  might  have  gone  there  expecting  to  meet  us. 
But  this  was  not  the  case ;  and  we  did  not  find  such  serious 
hearers  as  we  had  done  on  previous  occasions.    On  this 
account  Mr.  Burns  proposed  leaving  earlier  than  usual,  and 
we  did  so,  telling  Tsien  and  Kuci-hua  that  they  might  re- 
main a  little  longer.    Returning  to  the  boats,  we  j^ve  away 
a  few  books ;  but,  singularly  enough,  were  left  to  go  alone, 
no  one  accompanying  us,  as  is  so  generally  the  case.  Instead 
of  being  a  clear  night,  as  it  was  when  we  started,  we  found 
that  it  had  become  intensely  dark.    On  osnr  way  we  met 
the  boatman,  whose  nuinner  seemed  very  strange,  and 
without  giving  us  any  explanation  he  blew  out  the  candle 
of  our  lantern  ;  we  relighted  the  lantern,  telling  him  not  to 
put  it  out  again,  when  to  our  surprise  he  deliberately  re- 
moved the  candle  and  threw  it  into  the  canal.    He  then 
walked  down  along  a  low  wall  jutting  out  to  the  river's  edge, 
and  gazed  into  the  water. 

Not  knowing  what  was  the  matter  with  him,  I  ran 
forwud  to  hold  him,  fearful  lest  he  were  going  to  drown 
hunself ;  but  to  my  great  relief  he  came  quietly  back.  In 
answer  to  our  repeated  questions  he  told  us  not  to  speak, 
for  some  bad  men  were  seeking  to  destroy  thi  boats, 
and  they  had  moved  away  to  avwd  them.    He  then 

f 


A  RETROSPECT 


led  us  to  the  place  where  one  of  them  was  lying.  Before 
long  Tsien  and  Kuei-hua  came  and  got  safely  on  board, 
and  soon  after  we  were  joined  by  the  teacher  Sung,  and  the 
boat  moved  away. 

The  cause  of  all  this  disturbance  was  then  explained. 
A  man  professing  to  be  the  constable  had  come  to  the 
boats  in  our  absence,  with  a  written  demand  for  ten 
dollars  and  a  quantity  of  opium.  He  stated  that  there 
were  more  than  fifty  country  people  (salt  smugglers) 
awaiting  our  reply  in  an  adjoining  tea-shop ;  and  if  we 
gave  them  what  they  wanted,  and  three  hundred  cash  to 
pay  for  their  tea,  we  might  remain  in  peace ;  but  that  if 
not,  they  would  come  at  once  and  destroy  our  boats. 
Sung  told  them  that  we  could  not  comply  with  their 
demand ;  for,  not  being  engaged  in  trade,  but  only  in 
preaching  and  book-distribution,  we  had  not  an  atom  of 
opium,  and  that  our  money  was  nearly  all  expended.  The 
man,  Iwwever,  told  him  plainly  that  he  did  not  believe 
him,  and  Sung  had  no  alternative  but  to  seek  us  out, 
desiring  the  man  to  await  our  reply.  Not  knowing  that 
we  had  changed  our  plans,  he  sought  us  in  the  wr<Hig 
direction,  and  of  course  in  vain. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  boatmen  had  succeeded  in 
moving  off.  They  were  very  much  alarmed ;  and  having 
so  recently  had  proof  of  what  these  men  would  do  in  open 
daylight,  felt  no  de«re  to  experience  what  they  might 
attem{A  by  night.  Moving  away,  therefore,  they  had 
separated,  so  that  if  one  boat  should  ue  injured  the  other 
might  afford  us  a  refuge.  It  was  after  this  that  we  had 
providentially  met  the  boatman,  and  had  been  safdy  led  on 
board.  As  Sung  repassed  the  {dace  when  we  were  pre- 
wiomSj  moored,  he  saw  between  the  trees  a  dozen  or  m<Me 
men,  and  heard  them  inquiring  where  the  boats  had  gone 
to ;  but  no  one  could  telL    Fortunately  they  sought  in  vain. 


WITH  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNS  *| 


After  a  while  tlie  two  l)oals  joined,  and  rowed  together 
for  some  time.  It  was  alrcaily  late,  and  to  travel  by  night 
in  that  part  of  the  country  was  not  the  way  to  avoid  danger 
from  evil  men ;  to  the  question  arose  as  to  what  dioald  be 
done.  Tiiis  we  left  for  the  boatmen  to  decide ;  they  had 
moved  off  of  their  own  .accord,  .and  wc  felt  that  whatever 
we  personally  might  desire  we  could  not  constrain  others 
to  remain  in  a  poatim  of  danger  on  our  account  We 
urged  them,  howevor,  to  do  quickly  whatever  thejr  intended 
to  do,  as  the  morrow  was  the  Lord's  Day,  when  we  should 
not  wish  to  travel.  We  also  informed  them  that  wherever 
we  were  we  must  fulfil  our  mission,  and  preach  the  Gospel ; 
it  therefore  made  but  little  difference  where  we  might  stay, 
for  even  if  we  passed  the  night  unperceived,  we  were  sure 
to  be  found  out  on  the  following  morning.  The  men  con- 
sequently concluded  that  we  might  as  well  return  to  the 
place  fnnn  which  we  had  started ;  to  this  we  fully  agreed, 
and  they  turned  back  accordingly.  But — whether  by  acci- 
dent or  no  we  could  not  tell — tliey  got  into  another  stream, 
and  rowed  for  some  time  they  knew  not  whither.  At  last, 
as  it  was  very  dark,  they  moored  for  the  night 

We  then  called  all  the  boatmen  togetiier,  with  our 
native  assistants,  and  read  to  them  the  ninety-first  Psalm. 
It  may  be  imagined  how  appropriate  to  our  position  and 
need  and  how  sweetly  consoling  wns  this  portion  of  God's 
Word:— 

He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  tlie  Most  HIGH 
Shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 
I  will  say  of  the  LORD,  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress : 
My  God  ;  in  Him  inll  I  trust 

Surely  He  shall  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fowler. 
And  from  the  noisome  pestilence. 


A  RETROSPECT 


He  shall  cover  thee  with  His  feathers,  and  imder  Hit  wtngi 

shah  tliou  '.rust : 
His  truth  shall  be  thy  shield  and  buckler. 
Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  fdt  the  terror  by  night ; 
Nwr  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day. 

Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon  Me,  thereft»e  will  I  deliver 

him. 

1  will  set  him  on  high,  because  he  liath  known  My  Name. 

He  shall  call  upon  Me,  and  I  will  answer  hint ; 

I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble ; — I  will  deliver  him,  and  honour 

him. 

With  long  life  will  1  satisfy  him, — and  show  him  My  salva- 
tion." 

Committing  ourselves  in  prayer  to  His  care  and  keeping 
Who  had  covered  us  with  thick  darkness  and  permitted 
us  to  escape  from  the  hand  of  the  violent,  we  retired  for 
the  night;  which  —  thanks  to  the  kind  protection  of  the 
Watchman  of  Iskaei-,  who  neither  slumbers  nor  forgets 
His  people — we  passed  in  peace  and  quietness,  and  were 
enabled,  in  some  measure,  to  realise  the  truth  of  that 
precious  word,  "  Tfum  art  my  Hiiit^-plate^  and  my  Shield." 

Suitdaj/,  January  i  J/A, 

This  morning  I  was  awakened  about  4  a.m.  by  violent 
pain  in  the  knee-joint.  I  had  bruised  it  the  day  before, 
and  severe  inflammation  was  the  result  To  my  great 
surprise  I  heard  the  rain  pouring  down  in  torrents,  the 
weather  having  previously  been  particularly  fine.  On  look- 
ing out,  we  found  ourselves  so  near  our  former  stopping- 
place,  that,  had  nothing  happened  to  prevent  it,  we  should 
not  have  felt  justified  in  neglecting  to  go  into  the  town  to 
preach  as  usual;  but  the  rain  was  so  heavy  all  day  that 
no  one  could  leave  the  boats.  Thus  we  enjoyed  a  delight- 
ful  day  of  rest,  such  as  we  had  not  had  for  some  time  \  and 


WITH  Tin.  RF.V.  WILMAM  BURNS 


69 


the  weather  prevented  niii'  U  inciuiry  l>ein,l^  made  for  us. 
Had  the  day  been  fine  we  should  most  hkely  have  been 
discovered,  even  if  we  had  not  left  the  boats.  As  it  was, 
we  were  allowed  to  think  in  peace,  with  wonder  and 
gratitude,  of  the  gracious  dealings  of  our  don,  who  had 
thus  led  us  apart  into  "a  desert  place  "  to  rest  awhile-. 

A/i"uiay,  ftinuary  14M. 

A  cloudless  morning,  '^rtc  of  tlie  native  assistants 
went  before  daybreak  to  get  muc  cif>thes  which  had  been 
given  out  ffx  washing.  He  .nue  hwV.  with  the  tidings 
that,  notwithstanding:  the  drcm  '  ■,'  -  i-  f  yesterday,  men 
had  been  seeking  us  in  all  dir-  '.  -  We  had  been  kept, 
however,  in  peace  and  safety  "undCT  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty." 

The  boatmen  were  now  so  thoroiighly  alarmed  that 
they  would  stay  no  longer,  and  moved  off  at  dawn.  1  was 
confined  to  my  quarters  by  lameness,  and  had  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  go  with  them.  In  the  afternoon  we  reached 
Pin|;-wai%  on  the  way  to  Shanghai. 

♦«  111  that  God  blesses  is  our  good, 

And  unblest  good  is  ill  ; 
An.  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong. 
If  it  be  His  sweet  wjll." 


CHAI'TER  XII 


CALLED  TO  SWATOW 

IT  A\IN('.  to  leave  the  neighbourhood  of  I51;ick  Town 
1  thus  unexpectedly  was  a  real  disappointment  to 
us,  as  we  had  hoped  to  spend  some  time  evangelising  in 
that  district.  We  were  to  prove,  however,  that  no  unfore 
seen  mis(  banco  had  happened,  but  that  these  circumstances 
which  seemed  so  tryin;^  were  necessary  links  in  the  chain 
of  a  divinely  ordered  providence,  guiding  to  other  and 
wider  spheres. 

Cion  docs  not  permit  iicrsccution  to  arise  without 
sufficient  reason.  ...  He  was  leading  us  by  a  way  that  we 
knew  not ;  but  it  was  none  the  less  His  way. 

"O  Loud,  how  happy  si  ould  we  l)C 
If  we  would  cast  our  care  on  Thee, 

If  wc  from  .i'!t'  uoulcl  rest  ; 
And  feel  at  hi.iit  that  One  above, 
In  perfect  wisdom,  perfect  love. 

Is  working  for  the  best  I" 

Wlien  we  reached  Shanghai,  thinking  to  return  inland 
in  a  few  days  with  fresh  supplies  of  books  and  money,  we 
met  a  Christian  captain  who  h.ad  been  trading  at  Swatow, 
and  lie  put  very  stron-ly  before  us  the  need  of  th.at  region, 
and  the  (act  that  tlicre  were  liritisii  merchants  living  on 


CALLED  TO  SWATOW  7» 

Double  Island,  selling  opium  and  engaged  in  the  coolie 
trade  (practically  a  slave  traffic),  while  there  was  no  British 
missionary  to  preach  tli^  Gospel.  The  Spirit  of  God 
impressed  me  with  the  feeling  that  this  was  His  call,  but 
for  days  I  felt  that  I  could  not  obey  it.  I  had  never  had 
such  a  spiritual  father  as  Mr.  Burns;  I  had  never  known 
such  holy,  happy  fellowship;  and  I  said  to  myself  that  it 
could  not  be  God's  will  that  wc  should  separate. 

In  great  unrest  of  soul  I  went  one  evening,  with  Mr. 
Bums,  to  take  tea  at  the  house  of  the  Rev.  R.  Lowrie,  of 
the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  at  the  South  Gate  of 
Shanghai  After  tea  Mrs.  Lowrie  played  over  to  us  "The 
Missionary  Call."i  i  ^^d  never  heard  it  be(".,re,  and  it 
gr."\tly  affected  me.  My  heart  was  almost  broken  before 
it  was  finished,  and  I  said  to  the  Lord,  in  the  words  that 
had  been  sung— 

"  And  I  will  go  ! 
I  may  no  longer  doubt  to  give  up  friends,  and  idol  hopes, 
And  every  tie  that  binds  my  heart.  .  .  . 
Henceforth,  then,  it  maitcrs  not,  if  storm  or  sunshine  be  my 

earthly  lot,  bitter  or  sweet  my  cup  ; 
I  only  pray,  God,  make  me  holy, 
And  my  spirit  nerve  for  the  stem  hour  of  strife." 

Upon  leaving  I  asked  Mr.  Burns  to  come  home  with 
me  to  the  little  house  th.it  was  still  my  head-iuarters  in  ttie 
native  city,  and  there,  witli  many  tears,  told  him  how  the 
Lord  had  been  leading  mc,  and  how  rebellious  I  had  been 
and  unwilling  to  leave  him  for  this  new  sphere  of  labour. 
He  listened  with  a  strange  look  cf  surprise,  and  of  pleasure 
rather  tb.in  pain  ;  and  answered  that  he  haa  determined 
that  very  night  to  tell  me  that  he  hail  heard  the  I/)RD's 
call  to  Swaiow,  and  that  his  one  regret  had  been  the 
prospect  of  the  sever.nce  of  our  happy  fellowship.  We 
>  Fw  motdt  Md  motic  mm  Um  a»<l  of  tfais  cbapur. 


72  A  RETROSFECT 

went  together  j  and  thus  was  recommenced  missionary  work 
ill  tliat  part  of  China,  which  in  later  years  has  been  so 
abundantly  blessed. 

Long  before  this  time  the  Rev.  R.  Lechler,  of  the  Basel 
Missionary  Society,  had  widely  itinerated  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Swatow  and  the  surrounding  regions.  Driven 
about  from  place  to  place,  lie  had  done  work  that  was  not 
forgotte.-.,  although  ultimately  he  was  obliged  to  retire  to 
Hong-kong.  For  more  than  forty  years  this  earnest-hearted 
servant  of  God  has  continued  in  "  labours  more  abundant " ; 
and  quite  recently  he  has  left  Hong  kong,  with  his  devoted 
wife,  to  return  again  inland,  and  spend  the  strength  of  his 
remaining  years  amonpt  the  people  he  has  so  long  md 
truly  loved 

Captain  Powers,  the  Christian  f  iend  who  had  been  used 
of  God  in  bringing  the  needs  of  Swatow  before  Mr.  liurns 
and  myself,  was  overjoyed  when  he  heard  of  our  dectsicm 
to  devote  ourselves  to  the  evai^isi^m  of  that  busy, 
impofta^  and  populous  mart.  Being  about  to  sail  himself 
on  his  return  journey,  he  glad'v  ofTcrec'  us  free  passages  on 
board  the  G(elong,  in  which  we  left  Shanghai  early  in  the 
month  <tf  March  1856. 

A  favoorabte  journey  of  six  days  brought  us  to  Double 
Island,  where  we  found  ourselves  landed  in  the  midst  of  a 
small  but  very  ungodly  community  of  foreigners,  engaged  in 
the  opium  trade  and  other  commercial  enterpdto.  Unwil- 
lif^  to  be  in  any  way  identic  with  these  lidloir-ceuntryinen, 
we  were  most  desirous  of  obtainins;  quarters  ;U  on'  c  witliin 
the  native  city,  situated  on  a  promontory  of  the  mainland, 
five  miles  farther  up,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Han  river. 
Grent  difficulty  was  experienced  In  this  attempt  to  ofeain 
a  foo^ii^  amongst  the  people.  Indeed,  it  seeme^!  as 
though  we  sbn^i'd  fail  altogetlier.  and  wc  were  hclpU-ssly 
upon  the  Lord  in  p-ayer.    Our  God  soon  undertook 


CALLED  TO  SWATOW  73 

for  us.  Meeting  one  day  wiih  a  Cantonese  merchant,  a 
relative  of  the  highest  official  in  the  town,  Mr.  Bums 
addressed  him  in  the  Cantonese  dialect ;  this  gentleman 
was  so  pleased  at  being  spoken  to  by  a  foreigner  in  his 
own  tongue  that  he  became  our  friend,  and  secured  us  a 
lodging.  We  had  only  one  little  room,  however,  and  not 
easily  shall  I  forget  the  long  hot  summer  months  in  that 
oven-ltke  place,  where  towards  tlic  eaves  one  could  touch 
the  heated  tiles  with  one's  hand.  More  room  or  better 
accommodation  it  was  im[)ossible  to  obtain. 

We  varied  our  stay  by  visits  to  the  surrounding  country  ; 
but  the  difficulties  and  dangers  that  encountered  us  here 
were  so  great  and  constant,  thnt  our  former  work  in  the 
North  began  to  appear  safe  and  easy  in  compaiison.  The 
hatred  and  contempt  of  the  Cantonese  was  very  painful, 
"foreign  devil,"  "foreign  dog,"  or  "foreign  pig"  beang  the 
commonest  appellations;  but  all  this  led  us  into  deeper 
fellowship  than  I  bad  ever  known  before  with  Him  who 
was  "  despised  and  rejected  of  men." 

In  our  visits  to  the  country  we  were  liable  to  be  seised 
at  any  time  and  heW  to  ransom  ;  and  the  people  commwif 
declared  th.it  the  whole  district  was  "wiiliout  emperor, 
without  ruler,  and  without  l.iw."    Certainly,  might  w.is 
right  in  those  days.    On  one  occasion  we  were  visiting  a 
■mall  town,  and  found  that  the  inhabrtants  had  eaftmmt 
a  wealthy  man  of  another  clan.    A  lar-c  mnsom  w.is 
demanilc.!  for  his  release,  and  on  his  refusing  to  pay  it 
they  haii  smashed  his  ankle  bones,  one  by  orjc,  with  a  club, 
and  tiius  extorted  the  promise  they  desired.    Tlienj  was 
nothing  but  God's  jwotection  to  prevent  our  l)cing  treated 
in  the  san»e  way.     The  towns  were  al!  w:illc.',  and  one 
sufh  place  would  contain  ten  or  twenty  ihousantl  iK;ople 
of  the  same  cl.tn  and  surname,  who  were  frequently  at  war 
with  the  people  living  in  the  next  town.    To  be  km^ 


<^  A  RE'iaooract- 

rereived  in  one  |rfaee  was  not  uncwnnionly  p.  source  of 
dangef  in  the  next.  In  rimitnstances  '^ucli  as  these  thti 
preserving  « arc  of  our  Ciou  was  oftee  munhcsled. 

After  a  mm  the  laoi  —inilifiii  tocaMe  9,  mA 
naiwe  doeiais  «mk  umatilL  mim  mi  liiiii  Me  had  Utomd 
from  some  whal«d  been  umk-r  iiy  trc  .tnicnt  of  the  bene- 
fit derived,  and  was  led  to  seek  our  help.  God  blessed 
the  medicines  givea,  and  grateful  for  relief,  he«iviied  om 
feMHig  ftltome  for  ft  hospital  and  di^tnaaq^  Hami^  fak 
^^mammtt  mt  were  aH)]e  to  secure  the  entire  premises,  one 
room  of  which  we  hau  m-eviously  o«  cu  led  1  had  left  my 
stock  of  metlicine  and  surgscai  instruments  under  tlie  care 
<rf  my  friend,  Ite  tate  Ife  lK3*t»  »  T^—B^i^i. 
back  at  caee  l»  ftl^  ikmrn 

Mr.  Burns  came  down  from  z  town  caJled  Am  po.  that 
we  had  visited  together  scvenu  tmies,  to  see  me  oft  and 
returned  agaki  wdmm  I  bad  ndad,.  wilfc  twKaaWKMMgri- 

the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.  The  peoinc  were 
willini;  to  listen  to  their  preaching  and  to  accept  their 
books  as  a  gift,  but  they  would  not  buy  theaa.  Chse  n^j^ 
rabtes  braiee  is  aari  carried  «ir  emyUwig  ilMy  had,  mA 
the  exception  of  their  stock  of  literature,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  valueless.  Next  mornini;,  very  early,  they 
were  knocked  up  by  persons  wishing  to  buy  books,  and  the 
sales  coBtinoed;  so  thirt  by  breakfast  time  they  had  not 
only  cash  enough  to  jwocure  food,  but  to  i  ay  also  for  the 
passage  of  one  of  the  men  to  I  )()iil>le  Island,  below  Swatow, 
with  a  letter  to  Mr.  Hurns's  agent  to  supply  him  with 
money,  i'urchasers  continued  coming  during  that  day 
and  the  next,  and  our  friends  lacked  nothing ;  but  on  the 
third  day  they  could  not  sell  a  single  book.  Then,  how- 
ever, when  the  cash  froni  their  sales  was  just  exhausted, 
the  messenger  returned  with  supplies. 


CALI.ED  TO  SWATOW  75 

It  was  early  in  July,  after  about  four  months'  residence 
in  Swatow,  that  I  left  for  Shanghai,  intending  to  return  in 
the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  bringing  with  mc  my  medical 
apparatus,  for  further  work  in  association  with  the  Rev. 
W  illiam  lUirns.    A  new  and  promising  field  seemed  to  be 
opening  before  us,  and  it  was  with  much  hopeful  anticipa- 
tion that  we  looked  forward  to  the  future  of  the  work. 
Marked  blessing  was  indeed  in  store  for  the  city  and 
neighbourhood  of  Swatow;  but  it  was  not  the  purpose  of 
(ioD  that  either  of  us  should  remain  to  reap  the  harvest 
Mr.  Burns  whfle  in  the  interior  was  taken  up  and  imprisoned 
by  the  Chiaese  authorities  soon  after  I  kft,  and  was  sent  to 
Canton.    And  though  he  returned  to  Swatow  after  the  war 
l.ad  !ir  .ken  out,  he  was  nlled  away  for  other  st  vice,  which 
prevcnicd  iiis  subsequent  return ;  while  my  journey  to 
Shai^hai  pw»wd  to  be  the  first  slq>  in  a  diverging  pathway 
leaidmg  to  other  s^icre*. 

Thk  Missionary  Cam." 

-mm- 


"»  ^      ^  "  ,1 

i.  My  soulisllOtatrc^l■  1  ,  > 

TU«ecoiBC»ajt«ntf<:'  li^^  ^j,^,,,,,  f  night  '  y'^  .^,;^^  '    J.unt-ed  ground. 

and  secret  whiiper  lo  I  ^  (lamui.  , 

my      .      .      •     /  I  ! 


CiioRi  <  KIR  FiKST  Foru  Vl  K-^f  ^  \ 

~  :      t~T  f  r  ^  '      '    '   '    "  .'  . 

J7r.i.<-.  The  v..i.e  of  my  de  •  part-ed  l.om.,    "il.n  uach  all     na  ti.^s 


76 


A  KETROSPECT 


Comet  on    the     ni(bt  air    and    a  •  waken  mine 

_!  ---  -J  '  -I 


sc::L=..-::i 


S       -     -     ~    \    m     »-_i<  «r 

Cmncs   on    the     \»^m   nir    aTnl    a   •  tiitkesniinc 


^         'riir<.ii,:h  a  •  i4t:-.  of     e  -  Icr  -  iwil   years  My  >\»  -  rit      luv  -  er  shall  rc- 


Throuith  a  •  tsei  of    ?-  tcr  •  nal  year*,  My  *\n  •  rit     nev  •  er  shall  re- 


 ^— 


.  |iem,  that  toil    and    <uf ■  f'ring once  were  mine.. 


I       m      i«      N       I       I  _, 

«•     i*      I       .      *'     ^  T-^ 

•  pent,  that    toil    and     suf  -  f  rini;  oinc  w  ere  nunc 


^J-d*-j-a- 
-■._-_.t__•_^j--»- 


l)e  •  low. 


a.  Wliv  live  I  hi  n  ?  till-  vow.  f)f         nx<-  '  oil  tin-  :    ami  1  m.iy  lu^l  sli^p 

I  .  |il,iy  Willi  sli,i(l<iu>  ur  [lUick  iMrllily  |  llowcra,  j  till  I  my  work 

li.ivc  (lull!',  anil  ,  K'lulerctl  up  ac  |  count, 
•i.  .\nil  1  will  I  go  !  j  I  may  no  longer  doulit  to  give  up  fricnils,  and  idt)]  j 

liopc^,  :  and  rvrry  lie  lli.il  lii>  lii-.irt  to  ,  tlj.  .-,        '  ii.iiiitr\. 

.\.  Hcni-ofiitili,  tlii  ii,  ii  ni.illiTs  not,  if  storn.  or  .siin-^liiin'  U-  iii>  j  i  ullily 

lot,  I  bitUr  or  swcvl  my  |  cup  :  |  I  only  pr.iy  :  "iioi.  make  me 

lioly,  and  my  spirit  nerve  for  the  stem  |  hour  of  strife  !  " 
5.  And  wht-n  one  for  whom  Satan  liath  struggk-d  as  he  hath  for  ]  me,  \  h»% 

t;, lined  at  l  ist  that      sM  d  |  shore,  |  CMl !  how  this  heart  will  glow 

with  \  gratitude  and  |  luvc. 


CHAFTER  Xlll 


MAN  PROPOSES,  GOD  DISPOSES 

T  T  is  interesting  to  notice  the  various  events  which 
1     united,  in  the  providence  of  God,  in  preventing  my 
return  to  Swatow,  and  ultimately  led  to  my  setthng  m 
Ningpo.  and  making  that  the  centre  for  the  development 

of  future  labours. 

Upon  reaching  Shanghai,  great  was  my  d.smay  to  find 
that  the  premises  in  which  my  medicines  and  imtruments 
had  been  stored  were  burnt  down,  and  that  all  the 
medicines  and  many  of  the  instruments  were  entirely 
destroyed.    To  me  this  appeared  a  great  calanuty,  and  I 
fear  1  was  more  disposed  with  feithless  Jacob  to  say,  "AU 
these  things  are  against  me."  than  to  recognise  that  "All 
things  work  together  for  goo<l."    I  had  not  then  learned 
to  think  of  God  as  the  One  Great  Circumstance  "  m  Whom 
we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being"  ;  and  of  ali  lesser, 
external  circumstances,  as  necessarily  the  kindest,  wisest, 
best,  because  either  ordered  or  permitted  by  Him.  Hence 
my  disai)pointment  and  trial  were  very  ^rcat. 

Medicines  were  expensive  in  Shanghai,  and  my  means 
were  limited.  I  therefore  set  out  on  an  inland  journey  to 
Ningpo.  hoping  to  obtain  a  supply  from  Dr.  \V.H>-n 
Parker,  a  member  of  the  same  mission  as  myself.  I  took 
with  me  my  few  remaining  possessions,  the  prmcipal  being 


7t  A  RETKOSPECT 

my  watch,  a  few  surgical  instruments,  a  concertina,  books 
for  the  study  <if  Chinese,  which  in  those  d:tys  were  very 
expensive;  but  left  behind  in  Shanghai  a  portion  of  my 
money. 

The  country  through  which  I  had  to  pass  was  suffering 
much  from  drought ;  it  was  the  licight  of  summer ;  and 
the  water  in  the  Grand  Canal  was  very  low,  having  been 
largely  drawn  upon  for  the  neighbouring  rice  fields,  as  well 
as  evaporated  by  the  intense  heat  I  had  determined  to 
make  the  journey  as  much  of  a  mission  tour  as  possible, 
?  •  :  oet  o'lt  well  supplied  with  Christian  tracts  and  books, 
^.iii..-  fourteen  days  spent  in  travelling  slowly  tlirou^h  the 
populous  country,  preachi^  and  distributing  bodes,  etc., 
«re  r«!ached  a  large  town  called  Shih-mun  wan,  and  here, 
finding  that  my  supi)ly  of  literature  was  exhausted,  I  deter- 
mined not  to  linger  over  tiie  rest  of  the  journey,  but  to 
reach  Ningpo  as  speedily  as  possible,  vid  the  city  o< 
Hai-ning. 

There  was  no  water  beyond  Shih-mun  wan,  so  I  paid  off 
my  boat,  hired  coolies  to  carry  my  things  as  far  as  to 
Chang-gan,  and  ere  sunrise  we  were  on  the  way.  I  walked 
on  alone,  leaving  my  servant  to  follow  with  the  men,  who 

made  frequent  stoppages  to  rest  ;  and  on  reaching  a  city 
through  which  we  had  to  pass,  1  waited  for  them  in  a 
tea-shop  just  outside  the  North  Gate.  The  coolies  came 
on  very  slowly,  a;»d  seemed  tired  when  they  .arrived.  I 
soon  found  that  tl.ey  were  hf)lh  opiir.ivsinokers,  so  that, 
although  thfy  had  only  carried  a  load  that  one  strong  man 
would  think  nothing  of  taking  three  times  the  distance, 
they  really  seemed  wearied. 

After  some  rice  and  tea  and  an  hou.'s  rest — including, 
I  doubt  not,  a  smoke  of  tlie  opium  1  =pe — t^ey  wt-rc  a 
little  refreshed,  and  I  proiHJsed  moving  on,  th.  i  wc  t.ngnt 


MAN  PROPOSES,  GOD  DISPOSES  79 

get  to  Chang.gan  before  the  sun  became  too  powerful  My 
servant,  however,  had  a  friend  in  the  city,  and  he  desired 
to  spend  the  d«y  there,  wd  to  go  on  next  mormng.  Bu 
to  thit  I  objected,  wishing  to  reach  Hai  ning  ihat  n.ght  U 
possible     .  .        therefore  set  off,  entered  the  North 
Site,  and  had  passed  through  about  a  third  of  the  city, 
when  the  coolies  stopped  to  rest,  and  said  they  should  be 
unable  to  carry  the  burden  on  to  Chang  gan.  finally, 
they  agreed  to  take  it  to  the  South  Gate,  where  they  were 
to  be  paid  in  proportion  to  the  distance  they  bad  earned 
it;  and  the  servant  undertook  to  caU  other  coolies  and 
come  along  with  them. 

I  walked  on  before  as  in  the  first  instance,  and  the 
distance  being  only  about  four  miles,  soon  reached  Chang- 
can,  and  waited  their  arrival,  meanwhile  engaging  coohes 
for  the  rest  of  the  journey  to  Hai  ning.  Having  waited  a 
lone  ti:..c.  I  V,egan  to  wonder  at  iho  delay  ;  and  at  length 
it  bec  ame  too  late  to  finish  the  journey  to  Hai-nmg  that 
night  I  felt  somewhat  annoyed ;  and  but  that  my  feet 
w«e  blistered,  and  the  afternoon  very  hot.  I  should  have 
gone  back  to  meet  them  and  urge  ihem  on.  At  last  1 
concluded  that  my  servant  must  have  gone  to  his  friends, 
and  would  not  appear  until  evc.^ng.  But  evening  came, 
and  still  there  was  no  sign  of  them. 

Feeling  very  uneasy,  1  began  diligently  to  inquire 
whether  they  had  beer  seen.    At  last  a  man  responded 
"Are  yoi'  a  guest  from  ahih-mun-wan ?      I  answered 
in  the  affirmative.     "Are  you  going  to  Hai-ning? 
«That  is  my  destination."     "  Then  your  things  have 
gone  on  before  you;  for  I  was  sitting  in  a  tea-shop 
when  a  coolie  came  in,  took  a  cup  of  tea,  and  set  off  for 
Hai-ning  in  a  great  hurry,  saying  that  the  bamboo  box 
and  bed  he  carried,  which  were  just  such  at  you  describe 
yourt  to  have  been,  were  from  Shih-mun-wan,  and  he 


8o 


A  RETROSPECT 


had  to  take  them  to  Mai  iiing  to  nif^lit,  where  he  was  to 
be  paid  at  the  rate  of  ten  rash  a  iK)imd."  From  this  I 
concluded  that  my  goods  were  on  before  me ;  but  it 
was  impossible  to  follow  them  at  once,  for  I  was  too  tired 
to  walk,  and  it  was  already  dark. 

Under  these  cin mnstances  all  I  could  do  was  to  seek 
a  lodging  for  the  night ;  and  no  easy  task  1  foumi  it. 
After  raising  my  heart  to  God  to  ask  His  aid,  I  walked 
through  to  the  farther  end  of  the  town,  where  I  thought 
the  tidings  of  a  foreigner's  being  in  the  place  might  not 
have  spread,  ami  looked  out  for  an  inn.  I  soon  came  to 
one,  and  went  in,  hoping  that  I  might  pass  unquestioned, 
as  it  was  already  dark.  Asking  the  bill  of  fare,  I  was  told 
that  cold  rice — which  [.ruved  to  be  more  than  "rather 
burnt" — and  snakes,  fried  in  lampdil,  were  all  lliat  could 
be  had.  Not  wishing  any  ijutsliun  to  be  raised  as  to  my 
nationality,  I  was  compelled  to  order  some,  and  tried  to 
make  a  meal,  but  with  little  success. 

While  thus  engaged  I  said  to  the  landlord,  "  I  suppose 
I  can  arrange  to  spend  the  night  here  ?  " 

To  which  he  replied  in  the  atilirmative ;  but  bringing 
out  his  book,  he  added — 

"In  these  unsettled  times  we  are  required  by  the 
authorities  to  keej'  a  record  of  our  lodgers:  may  1 
ask  your  respected  family  name?" 

"  My  unworthy  family  name  is  Tai,"  I  responded. 

•*  And  your  honourable  second  name  ?  " 

".Mv  humble  name  i.^  la-koh  "  (James). 

"  What  an  extraordinary  name  !  I  never  heard  it  before. 
How  do  you  write  it?" 

I  told  him,  and  added,  "  It  is  a  common  name  in  the 
district  from  wl!i(  h  I  come." 

"And  may  1  ask  whence  you  come  and  whither  yoo 
are  going  ?  " 


MAN  TROrOSES.  COD  niSl  oSFS  8l 

"  I  am  journeying  from  Shanghai  to  Ningiw,  by  way  ot 
Hangdiau." 

"  What  may  he  your  honourable  profession  ?  " 
"  I  heal  the  sick." 

"Oh!  you  are  a  physii  ian,"  tl>e  landlonl  remark  cd  ; 
and  to  my  intense  relief  closed  the  book.  His  wife, 
however,  took  up  ilie  conversation. 

"  You  are  a  physician,  are  you  ?  "  said  she ;  I  am  glad 
of  that,  for  I  have  a  daughter  afflicted  with  lei>rosy.  If 
you  will  cure  her,  you  shall  have  your  supper  and  bed  for 
nothing." 

I  was  curious  enough  to  inquire  what  my  supper  and 
bed  were  to  cost,  if  paid  for  ;  and  to  my  amusement  found 
they  were  worth  less  than  thrce-halfi-cnce  of  our  money  ! 

Iking  unable  to  benefit  the  girl,  I  declined  to  prescribe 
for  her,  saying  that  leprosy  was  a  very  intractable  disease, 
and  that  I  had  no  medicines  with  me. 

The  mother,  however,  brou;4ht  pen  and  paper,  urgiii;;. 
You  can  at  least  write  a  prescription,  which  will  do  no 
harm,  if  it  does  no  good." 

But  this  also  I  declined  to  do,  and  requested  to  be 
shown  my  bed.  I  was  conducted  to  a  very  miserable  room 
oti  the  ground -floor,  where,  on  some  boards  raised  upon 
two  stools,  I  passed  the  night,  without  bed  o.  pillow, 
save  my  umbrella  and  shoe,  and  without  any  mosquito 
netting.  Ten  or  eleven  other  lodgers  were  sleeping  in  the 
same  room,  so  I  could  not  take  anythini^  off,  for  fear  of 
its  being  stolen  ;  but  I  was,  I  found,  by  no  means  too 
warm  as  midnight  came  on. 

August  sth. 

As  may  be  supposed,  I  arose  but  little  rested  or  refreshed, 
and  felt  very  far  from  well.  I  had  to  wait  a  long  time  ere 
breakfast  was  obtainable,  and  then  there  w^is  another  delay 
before  I  could  get  change  for  the  only  dollar  I  had  with 

o 


83 


A  RETROSPECT 


me,  in  consequence  of  its  being  chipped  in  one  or  two 
places.  More  than  three  hundred  cash  also  were  deducted 
from  its  price  on  this  account,  which  was  a  serious  loss  to 
me  in  my  trying  position. 

I  then  sought  throughout  the  town  for  tidings  of  my 
servant  and  coolies,  as  I  thought  it  possible  that  they 
might  have  arrived  later,  or  have  come  on  in  the  morning. 
The  town  is  large,  long,  and  straggling,  being  nea'-ly  two 
miles  from  one  end  to  the  other,  so  this  occupied  some 
time.    I  gained  no  information,  however;  and,  footsore 
and  weary,  set  out  for  Hai-ning  in  the  fall  heat  of  the  day. 
The  journey — about  eight  miles — took  me  a  long  timej 
but  a  halfway  village  afforded  a  resting-place  and  a  cup  of 
tea,  both  of  which  I  gladly  availed  myself  of.    When  about 
to  leave  again,  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  came  on,  and  the 
delay  thus  occasioned  enabled  me  to  speak  a  little  to  the 
people  about  the  truths  of  the  C'TOspel. 

The  afternoon  was  far  spent  before  I  approached  the 
northern  suburb  of  Hai-ning,  where  I  commenced  inquiries, 
but  could  hear  no  tidings  of  my  servant  or  things.    I  was 
told  that  outside  the  East  Gate  I  should  be  more  likely  to 
hear  of  them,  as  it  was  there  the  sea-junks  called.    I  there- 
fore proceeded  thither,  and  sought  for  them  outside  the 
Little  East  Gate,  but  in  vain.    Very  weary,  I  sat  down  in  a 
tea-shop  to  rest ;  and  while  there  a  number  of  persons  from 
one  of  the  mandarin's  offices  came  in,  and  made  inquiries 
as  to  who  I  was,  where  I  had  come  from,  etc.    On  learning 
the  object  of  my  search,  one  of  the  men  in  the  tea-shop 
said,  "  A  bamboo  box  and  a  bed,  such  as  you  describe, 
were  carried  past  here  about  half  an  hour  ago.    The  bearer 
seemed  to  be  going  towards  either  the  Great  East  Gate  or 
the  South  Gate  j  you  had  better  go  to  the  hongs  there  and 
inquire."    I  asked  him  to  accompany  me  in  the  search, 
and  promised  to  reward  him  for  his  trouble,  but  he  wouM 


MAN  PROPOSES,  GOD  DISPOSES  S3 

not.  Another  man  offered  to  go  with  me,  so  we  set  off 
together,  and  both  inside  and  outsider  the  two  gates  made 
diligent  inquiries,  but  all  in  vain.  I  then  engaged  a  man 
to  make  a  thorough  search,  promising  him  a  liberal  reward 
if  he  should  be  successful.  In  the  meantime  I  had  some 
dinner,  and  addressed  a  large  concourse  of  people  who  had 
gathered  together. 

When  he  returned,  ha  mg  met  with  no  success,  I  said 
to  him,  "  I  am  now  quite  exhausted  :  will  you  help  me  to 
find  quarters  for  the  night,  and  then  I  will  pay  you  for  your 
trouble?"  He  was  willing  to  befriend  me,  and  we  set  off 
in  search  of  lodgings.  At  the  first  place  or  two  the  people 
would  not  receive  me;  for  though  on  our  first  going  in 
they  seemed  willing  to  do  so,  the  presence  of  a  man  who 
followed  us,  and  who,  I  found,  was  engaged  in  one  of  the 
Government  offices,  seemed  to  alarm  them,  and  I  was  re- 
fused. We  now  went  to  a  third  place,  and  being  no  longer 
followed  by  the  mandarin's  messenger,  we  were  promised 
quarters ;  some  tea  was  brought,  and  I  paid  the  man  who 
had  accompanied  me  for  his  trouble. 

Soon  after  he  was  gone  some  official  people  came  in ; 
they  soon  went  away,  but  the  result  of  their  visit  was  that  I 
was  told  I  could  not  be  entertained  there  that  night  A 
young  man  present  blamed  them  for  their  heartless  be- 
haviour, and  said,  "Never  mind,  come  with  me;  and  if 
we  cannot  get  better  lodgings  for  you,  you  shall  sleep  at 
our  house."  I  went  with  him,  but  we  found  the  people  of 
his  house  unwilling  to  receive  me.  Weary  and  footsore,  so 
that  I  could  s'-ircely  stand,  I  had  again  to  seek  quarters, 
and  at  le  ^tl  got  promise  of  them;  but  a  little  crowd 
collecting  about  the  door,  they  desired  me  to  go  to  a  tea- 
shop  and  wait  there  tiU  the  people  had  retired,  or  they 
would  be  unable  to  accommodate  me.  There  was  no  help 
for  it,  so  I  went,  accompanied  still  by  tht-  young  man,  and 


84  A  RETROSPECT 

waited  till  past  midnight.  Then  we  left  for  the  promised 
resting-place ;  but  my  conductor  would  not  find  it,  and  he 
led  me  about  to  another  part  of  the  city;  and  finally, 
between  one  and  two  o'clock,  he  left  me  to  pass  the  rest 
of  the  night  as  best  1  could. 

1  was  opposite  a  temple,  but  it  was  closed ;  so  1  lay 
down  on  the  stone  steps  in  front  of  it,  and  putting  my 
money  under  my  head  for  a  pillow,  should  soon  have  been 
asleep  in  spite  of  the  cold  had  I  not  perceived  a  person 
coming  stealthily  towards  me.    As  he  aj)proaclied  I  saw  he 
was  one  of  the  beggars  so  comm  )n  in  China,  and  had  no 
doubt  his  intention  was  to  rob  me  of  my  money.    I  did 
not  stir,  but  watched  his  movements,  and  looked  to  my 
Father  not  to  leave  me  in  this  hour  of  trial.    The  man 
came  up,  looked  at  me  for  some  time  to  assure  himself 
that  I  was  asleep  (it  was  so  dark  that  he  could  not  see  my 
eyes  fixed  on  him),  and  then  began  to  feel  about  me  gently. 
I  said  to  him  in  the  quietest  tone,  but  so  as  to  convince 
him  that  I  was  not,  nor  had  been,  sleeping,  "  What  do  you 
want?"    He  made  no  answer,  but  went  away. 

1  was  very  thankful  to  see  him  go,  and  when  he  was  out 
of  sight  put  as  much  of  my  cash  as  would  not  go  into  my 
pocket  safely  up  my  sleeve,  and  made  my  pillow  of  a  stone 
projection  of  the  wall.    It  was  not  long  ere  I  began  to 
doze,  but  I  was  aroused  by  the  all  but  noiseless  footsteps 
of  two  persons  approaching;  for  my  nervous  system  was 
rendered  so  sensitive  by  exhaustion  that  the  slightest  noise 
startled  me.    Again  I  sought  protection  from  Him  who 
alone  was  my  stay,  and  lay  still  as  before,  till  one  of  them 
came  up  and  began  to  feel  under  my  head  for  the  cash.  I 
spoke  again,  and  they  sat  down  at  my  feet.    I  asked  them 
what  they  were  doing;  tliey  replied  that  they,  like  me, 
were  going  to  pass  the  night  there.    I  then  requested  them 
to  take  the  opposite  side,  as  there  was  plenty  of  room,  and 


MAN  PROPOSES,  GOD  DISPOSES  85 

leave  this  side  to  me ;  but  they  would  not  move  from  my 
feet,  so  I  raised  myself  up  and  set  my  back  against  the 
wall. 

They  said,  "  You  had  belter  lie  down  and  sleep ;  if  you 
do  not,  you  will  be  unable  to  walk  to-morrow.  Do  not  be 
afraid ;  we  shall  not  leave  you,  and  will  see  that  no  one 
hurts  you." 

"  Listen  to  me,"  I  replied.  "  1  do  not  want  your  pro- 
tection;  I  need  it  not;  I  am  not  a  Chinese;  I  do  not 
worshii)  your  senseless,  helpless  idols.  I  worship  God  ; 
He  is  my  Father  ;  I  trust  in  Him.  I  know  well  what 
you  are,  and  what  your  intentions  are,  and  shall  keep  my 
eye  on  you,  and  shall  not  sleep." 

On  this,  one  of  them  went  away,  but  soon  returned 
with  a  third  companion.    I  felt  very  uneasy,  but  looked  to 
God  for  help.    Once  or  twice  one  of  tlicm  got  ui)  to  see 
if  I  was  asleci).    I  only  said,  "  Do  not  be  mistaken;  1  am 
not  sleci-ing."    Occasionally  my  head  dropped,  and  this 
was  a  signal  for  one  of  them  to  rise ;  hut  I  at  once  roused 
myself  and  made  some  remark.     As  the  niglit  slowly 
passed  on,  I  felt  very  weary  ;  and  to  keep  myseli'  awake, 
as  well  as  to  cheer  my  mind,  I  sang  several  hymns,  repeated 
aloud  some  portions  of  Scripture,  and  engaged  in  prayer 
in  English,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  my  companions,  who 
seemed  as  if  they  would  have  given  anything  to  get  me  to 
desist.    After  that  they  troubled  me  no  more ;  and  shortly 
before  dawn  of  day  they  left  me,  and  1  got  a  little  sleep. 

August  (3th. 

I  was  awakened  by  the  yi>ung  man  who  had  so  misled 
me  on  the.  previous  evening.  lie  was  very  rude,  and 
insisted  on  my  getting  up  and  paying  him  for  his  trouble, 
and  even  went  so  far  as  to  try  to  accomplish  by  force 
what  he  wanted.    This  roused  roe;  und  in  an  unguarded 


86  A  RETROSPECT 

moment,  with  very  improper  feeling,  I  seized  his  arm  with 
such  a  grasp  as  he  little  expected  I  was  capable  of,  and 
dared  him  to  lay  a  fmgcr  upon  me  again  or  to  annoy  roe 
further.  This  quite  changed  his  manner ;  he  let  me  quietly 
remain  till  the  guns  announr  d  the  opening  of  the  gates  of 
the  city,  and  then  he  begged  me  to  give  him  some  money 
to  buy  opium  with.  It  is  needless  to  say  this  was  refused. 
I  gave  him  the  price  of  two  candles,  that  he  said  he  had 
burnt  whUe  with  me  last  night,  and  no  more.  I  learned  he 
was  connected  with  one  of  the  mandarin's  offices. 

As  soon  as  possible,  I  bought  some  rice  gruel  and  tea 
for  breakfast,  and  then  once  more  made  a  personal  search 
after  my  things.  Some  hours  thus  spent  proving  unavailing, 
I  set  out  on  the  return  journey,  and  after  a  long,  weary, 
and  painful  walk  reached  Chang-gan  about  noon.  Here 
aiso  my  inquiries  failed  to  give  me  any  trace  of  the  missing 
goods;  so  I  had  a  meal  cooked  in  a  tea-shop,  got  a 
thorough  wash  and  bathed  my  inflamed  feet,  and  after 
dinner  rested  and  slept  till  four  in  the  afternoon. 

Much  refreshed,  I  then  set  off  to  return  to  the  city,  at 
the  South  Gate  of  which  I  had  parted  with  my  servant  and 
coolies  two  days  before.    On  the  way  I  was  led  to  reflect 
on  the  goodness  of  God,  and  recollected  that  I  had  not 
maf' it  a  matter  of  prayer  that  I  might  be  provided  with 
lodgings  last  night    I  felt  condemned,  too,  that  I  should 
have  been  so  anxious  for  my  few  things,  while  the  many 
precious  souls  around  me  had  caused  so  little  emotion.  I 
came  as  a  sinner  and  pleaded  the  blood  of  Jesus,  realising 
that  I  was  accepted  in  Him— pardoned,  cleansed,  sanctified 
—and  oh  the  love  of  Jesus,  how  great  I  felt  it  to  be!  I 
knew  something  more  than  I  had  ever  previously  known 
of  what  it  was  to  be  despised  and  rejected,  and  to  have 
nowhere  to  lay  one's  head  ;  and  I  felt  more  than  ever  I  had 
done  before  the  greatness  of  that  love  which  induced  Him 


MAN  PROPOSES.  GOD  DISPOSES  8? 

to  leave  His  home  in  glory  and  suffer  thus  for  .ne  ;  nay  to 
lay  down  His  ve.   life  upon  the  Cross.    I  thought  of  Ihm 
as  "despised  and  rejected  of  men.  a  Man  of  sorrows,  and 
acquainted  with  grief"  ;  I  thought  of  Him  at  Jacobs  well, 
weary,  hungry,  and  thirsty,  yet  finding  it  His  meat  and 
drink  to  do  His  Father's  will;  and  contrasted  this  with 
my  littleness  of  love.    I  looked  to  Him  for  pardon  for  the 
past,  and  for  grace  and  strength  to  do  His  will  m  the  future, 
to  tread  more  closely  in  His  footsteps,  and  be  more  than 
ever  wholly  His.     I  prayed  for  myself,  for  fnends  in 
England,  and  for  my  brethren  in  the  work.    Sweet  tears  o 
mingled  joy  and  sorrow  flowed  freely,  the  road  was  almost 
forgotten,  and  before  I  was  aware  of  it  I  had  reached  my 
destination.    Outside  the  South  Gate  I  took  a  cup  of  tea 
asked  about  my  lost  luggage,  and  spoke  of  the  love  of 
Jesus.    Then  I  entered  the  city,  and  after  many  vam  m- 
quiries  left  it  by  the  North  Gate. 

1  felt  so  much  refreshed  both  in  mind  and  body  by  the 
communion  I  had  on  my  walk  to  the  city  that  I  thought 
myself  able  to  finish  the  remaining  six  miles  back  to  bhxh- 
mun-wan  that  evening.    First  I  went  into  another  t^-shop 
to  buy  some  native  cakes,  and  was  making  a  meal  of  them 
when  who  should  come  in  but  one  of  the  identical  coohes 
who  had  carried  my  things  the  first  stage.    From  him  I 
learned  that  after  I  left  them  they  had  taken  my  luggage 
to  the  South  Gate;  there  my  servant  went  away,  saying  on 
his  return  that  I  had  gone  on.  that  he  did  not  intend  to 
start  at  once,  but  would  spend  the  day  with  his  fnend,  and 
then  rejoin  me ;  they  carried  the  things  to  this  friend  s 
house,  and  left  them  there.    I  got  him  to  go  with  me  to  the 
house,  and  there  learned  that  the  man  had  spent  the  day 
and  night  with  them,  and  next  morning  had  called  other 
coolie^  and  set  off  for  Hang-chau.    This  was  all  I  could 
gather;  so.  umible  to  do  anything  but  proceed  on  my 


88 


A  RETKOSI'ECT 


return  journey  to  Shanghai  witli  all  expedition,  I  left  the 
city  again.  It  was  now  too  late  to  go  on  to  Shih-niun-wan. 
I  looked  to  tny  Father  as  able  to  supply  all  my  need,  and 
received  another  token  of  His  ceaseless  love  and  care, 
being  invited  to  sleep  on  a  hong-boat,  now  dry  in  the  bed 
of  the  river.  The  night  was  again  very  cold  and  the 
mosquitoes  troublesome.  Still,  I  got  a  little  rest,  and  at 
sunrise  was  up  and  continued  my  journey. 

August  jth, 

I  felt  very  ill  at  first,  and  had  a  sore  throat,  but  re- 
flected on  ihe  wonderful  goodness  of  Gou  in  enabling  me 
to  bear  the  heat  by  day  and  the  cold  by  night  so  long.  I 
felt  also  that  quite  a  load  was  now  taken  off  my  mind.  I 
had  committed  myself  and  my  affairs  to  the  Lord,  and 
knew  that  if  it  was  for  my  good  and  for  His  glory  my 
things  would  be  restored ;  if  not,  all  would  be  for  the  best 
I  hoped  that  the  most  trying  part  of  my  journey  was  now 
drawing  to  a  close,  and  tliis  helped  me,  weary  and  footsore, 
on  the  way.    AViien  1  got  to  Shih-mun-wan  and  had  break- 
fasted, I  found  I  had  still  eight  hundred  and  ten  cash  in 
hand ;  and  I  knew  that  the  hong-boat  fore  to  Kia-hing  Fu 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty  cash,  and  thence  to  Sliangliai 
three  hundred  and  sixty,  leaving  me  just  three  hundred 
and  thirty  cash — or  twelve  pence  and  a  fraction — for  three 
or  four  days'  provisions.    I  went  at  once  to  the  boat  office, 
but  to  my  dismay  found  that  from  the  dry  state  of  the 
river  goods  had  not  come  down,  so  that  no  boat  would 
leave  to-day  and  perhaps  none  to  morrow.    I  inquired  il 
there  were  no  letter-boats  for  Kia-hing  Fu,  and  was  told  that 
they  had  already  left.    The  only  remaining  resource  was  to 
ascertain  if  any  private  boats  were  going  in  which  I  could 
get  a  passage.    My  search,  however,  was  in  vain ;  and  I 
could  get  no  boat  to  undertake  to  go  all  the  way  to 
Shanghai,  or  my  difficulty  would  have  been  at  an  end. 


MAN  PROPOSES,  COD  DISPOSES  ^ 

Jusl  at  this  juncture  I  mw  before  me,  at  a  turn  in  the 
canal,  a  letter-boat  going  in  the  direction  of  Kia  lung  u 
This,  I  concluded,  must  be  one  of  ihe  Kia-hing  boats  that 
had  been  unexpectedly  detained,  and  I  set  off  after  it  as 
fast  as  hope  and  the  necessities  of  the  case  would  carry  me. 
For  the  time  being  weariness  and  sore  feet  were  alike 
forgotten.    After  a  chase  of  about  a  mile  1  overtook  U. 

"Are  you  going  to  Kia-hing  Fu?"  I  called  out, 

"  No,"  was  the  only  answer. 

•*  Are  you  going  in  that  direction  ?  " 

i  you  give  me  a  passage  as  far  as  you  do  go  that 
Still  "  No,"  and  nothing  more. 

Completely  dispirited  and  exhausted,  I  sank  down  on 

the  grass  and  fainted  away. 

As  consciousness  returned  some  voices  reached  my  ear, 
and  I  found  they  were  talking  about  me.    One  said,  "  He 
speaks  pure  Shanghai  dialect,"  and  from  their  own  speech 
I  knew  them  to  be  Shanghai  people.    Raising  myself,  I 
saw  that  they  were  on  a  large  hong-boat  on  the  other  side 
of  the  canal,  and  after  a  few  words  they  sent  their  small 
boat  to  fetch  me,  and  I  went  on  board  the  junk.  They 
were  very  kind,  and  gave  me  some  tea ;  and  when  I  was 
refreshed  and  able  to  partake  of  it,  some  food  also.    I  then 
took  my  shoes  and  stockings  off  to  ease  my  feet,  and  the 
boatman  kindly  provided  me  with  hot  water  to  bathe  them. 
When  they  heard  my  story,  and  saw  the  blisters  on  my  feet, 
they  evidently  pitied  me,  and  hailed  every  boat  that  passed 
to  see  if  it  was  going  my  way.    Not  finding  one,  by  and  by, 
after  a  few  hours'  sleep,  I  went  ashore  with  the  cap'ain, 
intending  to  preach  in  the  temple  of  Kwan-ti. 

Before  Laving  the  junk  I  told  the  captain  and  tliose 
onboard  that  I  was  now  unable  to  help  myself;  that  I 


CHAPTER  XIV 


I'ROVIDENTIAL  GUIDANCE 

IT  now  seemed  very  clear  that  the  lost  projKSrty — 
including  ever)'thing  I  possessed  in  China,  with  the 
exception  of  a  small  sum  of  money  providLniially  left  in 
Shanghai — had  Iicen  deliberately  stolen  by  my  servant, 
who  had  gone  off  with  it  to  Hang-chau.  The  first  question, 
of  course,  was  how  best  to  act  for  the  good  of  the  man  who 
had  been  the  raiisc  of  so  much  trouble.  It  would  not 
have  been  diflicult  '  take  steps  that  would  have  led  to  his 
punishment ;  thouj,!!  the  likelihood  of  any  reparation  being 
made  for  the  loss  sustained  was  very  small.  But  the 
consideration  which  weighed  most  heasily  wns  that  the 
thief  was  a  man  for  whose  salvation  I  had  laboured  and 
prayed;  and  I  felt  that  to  prosecute  bim  would  not  be  to 
emphasise  the  leaching  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  in 
which  we  had  read  together,  "  Resist  not  evil,"  and  other 
similar  i)recepts.  Finally,  concluding  that  his  soul  was  of 
more  value  than  the  jCao  worth  of  tilings  I  had  lost,  1 
wrote  and  told  him  this,  urging  upon  him  his  need  of 
repentance  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The 
course  I  took  commended  itself  to  my  Christian  friends  in 
England,  one  of  whom  was  afterwards  led  to  send  me  a 
cheque  for  ^40 — the  first  of  many  subsequently  received 
from  the  same  kind  helper. 


PROVIDENTIAL  GUIDANCE 


9J 


Having  obtained  the  little  money  left  in  Shanghai, 
I  a^ain  set  out  for  Ningpo,  to  seek  assistance  from  Dr. 
Parker  in  replacing  the  medicines  I  had  previously  lost  by 
firft  This  being  satisfactorily  accomplished,  I  returned 
once  more  to  Shanghai,  en  route  for  S.v.itow,  hoping  soon 
to  rejoin  my  much-loved  friend,  Mr.  I'.Krns,  in  llio  work  in 
that  important  centre.  God  had  willed  it  otherwise,  however; 
and  the  delay  caused  by  the  robbery  was  just  sufficient  to 
prevent  me  from  starting  for  the  South  as  I  had  intended. 

Over  the  political  horizon  storm-clouds  had  long  been 
gathering,  precursors  of  coming  war ;  and  early  in  October 
of  this  year  (1856)  the  affair  of  the  Lorcha  Arrow  at 
Canton  led  to  the  definite  commencement  of  hostilities. 
Very  soon  China  was  deeply  involved  in  a  second  prolotigcd 
struizgle  with  foreign  powers ;  and  missionary  operations, 
in  the  South  at  any  rate,  had  to  be  largely  suspended. 
Tidings  of  these  events,  together  with  letters  from  Mr. 
Burns,  arrived  just  in  time  to  meet  me  in  Shanghai  as 
I  was  leaving  for  Swatow  ;  and  thus  hindered,  I  could  not 
but  realise  the  hand  of  God  in  closing  the  door  I  had  so 
much  desired  to  Ci.  it. 

While  in  Ningpo,  I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
John  Jones,  who,  with  Dr.  Parker,  represented  the  Chinese 
Evangelisation  Society  in  that  city.  Hindered  from  return- 
ing to  Swatow,  I  now  decided  to  join  these  brethren  in 
the  Ningpo  work,  and  set  out  at  once  upon  the  journey. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  when  already  about 
thirty  miles  distant  from  Shanghai,  Mr.  Jones  and  I  drew 
near  the  large  and  important  city  of  Sung-kiang,  and  I 
spoke  of  going  ashore  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  throng- 
ing multitudes  that  lined  the  banks  and  crowded  the 
approaches  to  the  city  gates. 

Among  the  passengers  on  board  the  boat  was  one 
intelligent  man,  wiio  m  tlie  course  of  his  travels  had  been 


94 


A  RETIUMPBCT 


a  good  deal  abroad,  and  had  ewen  visited  England,  where 
he  went  by  the  name  of  Peter.  At  might  be  exi)ectetl, 
he  had  lieard  something  of  the  Gospel,  but  had  never 
experienced  its  saving  power.  On  the  (devious  evenir^ 
I  had  drawn  him  into  earnest  converse  about  h»  soul^ 
salvation.  The  man  listened  with  attention,  and  was 
even  moved  to  tears,  but  still  no  definite  result  was 
apparent  I  was  pleased,  therefore,  when  he  asked  to  be 
altowed  to  accompany  me,  and  to  hear  me  preacli. 

I  went  into  the  cabin  of  the  boat  to  prepare  tracts  and 
books  for  distribution  on  landing  with  my  Chinese  friend, 
when  suddenly  I  wus  startled  by  a  splash  and  a  cry  from 
without  I  sprang  on  deck,  and  took  in  the  situation 
at  a  glance.  Peter  was  gone !  The  other  men  were  all 
there,  on  board,  looking  helplessly  at  the  spot  where  he 
had  disappeared,  but  making  no  effort  to  save  him.  A 
strong  wind  was  carrying  the  junk  rapidly  forward  in  spite 
of  a  steady  current  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  the  low- 
lying,  shrubless  shore  aflforded  no  landmark  to  indicate 
how  far  we  had  left  the  drowning  man  behind. 

I  instantly  let  down  the  sail  and  leapt  overboard  in  the 
hope  of  finding  him.  Unsuccessful,  I  looked  around  in 
agonising  suspense,  and  saw  close  to  me  a  fishing-boat 
with  a  peculiar  drag-net  furnished  with  hooks,  which  I 
knew  would  bring  him  up. 

"Come!"  I  cried,  as  hope  revived  in  my  heart 
"Come  and  drag  over  this  spot  directly;  a  roan  is 
drowning  just  here  ! " 

"Veh  bin"  (It  is  not  convenient),  was  the  unfeeling 
answer. 

"Don't  talk  of  convenience /"  cried  I  in  an  agony;  "a 
man  is  drowning,  I  tell  you  ! " 

"We  are  busy  fishing,"  they  responded,  "and  cannot 
come." 


PROVIDENTIAL  OUIHANCE 


Never  mii.d  you  Hshii  ,."  I  said,  "  I  will  give  you 
more  money  than  mai.y  p  Jay's  fishing  will  bring;  only 
come — come  at  once  I " 

"How  much  money  will  you  give  ut? " 
"We  cannot  stay  to  discuss  that  now!    Come,  or  it 
will  be  too  late.    I  will  give  you  five  dollars  "  (then  worth 
about  thirty  shillings  in  English  money). 

•«  We  won't  do  it  for  that,"  replied  the  mea    "  Give  ut 
twenty  dollan,  and  we  wiU  drag." 

"  I  do  not  possess  so  much :  d"  come  quicklv  and  I 
will  give  you  all  I  have  1 " 

How  much  may  that  be?" 
"  I  don't  know  exactly,  about  fourtc  n  rlolhia." 
At  last,  but  even  then  slowW  enoug!-  the  boat  was 
paddled  over,  and  the  net  let  wi.  Las.  uian  a  minute 
sufficed  to  ^.  ng  up  the  body  of  the  missing  man.  The 
fishermen  were  clamorous  and  indignant  because  their  ex- 
orbitant demand  was  delayed  while  efforts  at  resuscitation 
were  being  made.    But  all  was  in  vain— life  was  extinct. 

To  myself  this  incident  was  profoundly  sad  and  full  of 
significance,  suggesting  a  far  more  mournful  reality.  Were 
not  those  fishermen  actually  guilty  of  this  poor  Chinaman's 
death,  in  that  they  had  the  means  of  saving  him  at  hand, 
if  they  would  but  have  used  them?    Af  uredly  they  were 
guilty.    And  yet,  let  us  pause  ere  we  pronounce  judgment 
against  them,  lest  a  greater  than  Nathan  answer,  "T/iou  art 
the  man."    Is  it  so  hard-hearted,  so  wicked  a  thing  to 
neglect  to  save  the  body?    Of  how  much  sorer  punish- 
ment, then,  is  he  worthy  who  leaves  the  soul  to  perish, 
and  Cain-Uke  says,  "Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?"  The 
Lord  Jesus  commands,  commands  me,  commands  you, 
my  brother,  and  you,  my  sister.     "Go,"  says  He,  "go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospe^  '  o  every  creature." 
Shall  we  say  to  Him,  "  No,  it  is  not  convenient"?  shall  we 


96 


A  RETROSPFXT 


tell  Him  that  we  are  busy  fishing  and  cannot  go  ?  that  we 
have  bought  a  piece  of  ground  and  cannot  go?  that  we 
have  purchased  five  yoke  of  oxen,  or  have  married,  or  are 
engaged  in  other  and  more  interesting  pursuits,  and  cannot 
go  ?  Ere  long  "  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ  ;  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done 
in  his  body."  Let  us  remember,  let  us  pray  for,  let  us 
labour  for  the  unevangelised  Chinese ;  or  we  shall  sin 
against  our  07vn  souls.  Let  us  consider  ]Vho  it  is  that 
has  said,  "  If  thou  forbear  to  deliver  them  that  are  drawn 
unto  death,  and  those  that  are  ready  to  be  slain ;  if  thou 
sayest.  Behold,  we  knew  it  not ;  doth  not  He  that  ponder- 
eth  the  heart  consider  it  ?  and  He  that  keepeth  thy  soul, 
doth  not  he  know  it  ?  and  shall  not  He  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  works  ?  " 

Through  midnight  gloom  from  Maccdon, 

The  cry  of  myriads  as  of  one  ; 

The  voiceful  silence  of  despair 

Is  eloquent  in  awful  prayer : 

The  soul's  exceeding  bitter  cry, 

"  Come  o'er  and  help  vis,  or  we  die." 

How  mournfully  it  echoes  on, 
For  half  the  earth  is  Macedon  ; 
These  brethren  to  their  brethren  call, 
And  by  the  Love  which  loves  them  all, 
And  by  the  whole  world's  Life  they  cry, 
"  O  ye  that  live,  behold  we  die  !  " 

I5y  other  sounds  the  world  is  won 
Than  that  which  wails  from  Maccdon  j 
The  roar  of  gain  is  round  it  rolled, 
Or  men  unto  themselves  are  sold. 
And  cannot  list  the  alien  cry, 
"  O  hear  and  help  us,  lest  we  die  1  ~ 


PROVIDENTIAL  GUIDANCE 


97 


Vet  with  that  cry  from  Macedon 
The  very  car  of  Christ  rolls  on : 
"  /  come ;  who  would  abide  My  day^ 

In  yonder  wilds  prepare  My  way  ; 
My  voice  is  crying  in  their  cry. 
Help  ye  the  dying,  lest  ye  die." 

JESU,  for  men  of  Man  the  Son, 
Yea,  Thine  the  cry  from  Macedon  ; 
Oh,  by  the  K>..gdom  and  the  power 
And  glory  of  Thine  advent  liour, 
Wake  heart  and  will  to  hear  their  cry  ; 
Help  us  to  help  them,  lest  we  die. 


H 


CHAPTER  XV 


SETTLEMENT  IN  NINGPO 

HE  autumn  of  1856  was  well  advanced  before  1 


1  reached  Ningpo,  one  of  the  most  ancient  and 
influential  cities  on  the  coast  of  China.  Opened  to  the 
residence  of  foreigners  in  1842  by  the  treaty  of  Nan- 
king, it  had  long  been  the  scene  of  missionary  labours. 
Within  its  thronging  thoroughfares  the  busy  tide  of  life 
runs  high.  Four  hundred  thousand  human  beings  dwell 
within  or  around  the  five  miles'  circuit  of  its  ancient 
wall,  every  one  a  soul  that  Jesus  loves,  for  whom  He 
died. 

As  winter  drew  on  I  rented  a  native  house  in  Wu- 
gyiao-deo,  or  Lake  Head  Street  It  was  not  then  a  very 
comfortable  residence.  I  have  a  very  distinct  remem- 
brance of  tracing  my  initials  on  the  snow  which  during  the 
night  had  collected  upon  my  coverlet  in  the  large  bam  like 
upper  room,  now  subdivided  into  four  or  five  smaller  ones, 
each  of  which  is  comfortably  ceiled.  The  tiling  of  an 
unceiled  Chinese  house  may  keep  off  the  rain — if  it  happens 
to  be  sound — but  it  does  not  afford  so  good  a  protection 
against  snow,  which  will  beat  up  through  crannies  and 
crevices,  and  find  its  way  within.  But  however  unfinished 
may  have  been  its  fittings,  the  little  house  was  well  adapted 
for  work  amongst  the  people  ;  and  there  I  thankfully  settled 


SKTTI.EMF.NT  IN  NIXOPO 


99 


down,  finding  ample  scope  for  service,— morning,  noon, 
and  night. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  year  my  mind  was  greatly 
exercised  about  continued  conncc  lion  with  my  So<  icty,  it 
being  frequently  in  debt,  rcrson.illy  I  had  always  avoided 
debt,  and  kept  within  my  salary,  though  at  times  only  by 
very  careful  economy.  Now  there  was  no  difficulty  in 
doing  this,  for  my  income  was  larger,  and  the  country  being 
in  a  more  peaceful  state,  things  were  not  so  dear.  But  the 
Society  itself  was  in  debt.  'I'lic  quarterly  bills  which  I  and 
others  were  instructed  to  draw  were  often  met  by  borrowed 
money,  and  a  correspondence  commenced  which  terminated 
in  the  following  year  by  my  resigning  from  conscientious 
motives. 

To  me  it  seemed  that  the  teaching  of  Con's  Word  was 
unmistakably  clear  :  "  Owe  no  man  any  thing."  To  borrow 
money  implied,  to  my  mind,  a  contradiction  of  Scripture — 
a  confession  that  God  had  withheld  some  good  thin;r,  and  a 
determination  to  get  for  ourselves  what  1  le  had  not  given. 
Could  that  which  was  wrong  for  one  Christian  to  do  be 
right  for  an  association  of  Christians?  Or  could  any 
amount  of  precedents  make  a  wrong  course  justifiable  ?  If 
the  Word  taught  me  anything,  it  taught  me  to  have  no 
connection  with  debt.  I  could  not  think  that  God  was 
poor,  tiiat  He  was  short  of  resources,  or  unwilling  to  supply 
any  want  of  whatever  work  was  really  His.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  if  there  were  lack  of  funds  to  carry  on  work,  tlicn 
to  that  degree,  in  that  special  development,  or  at  that  time, 
it  could  not  be  the  work  of  God.  To  satisfy  my  conscience 
I  was  therefore  compelled  to  resign  connection  with  the 
Society  which  had  hitherto  supplied  my  salary. 

It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  that  my  friend  and 
colleague,  Mr.  Jones,  also  of  the  Chinese  Evangelisation 
Society,  was  led  to  take  the  same  step ;  and  we  were  both 


100 


A  RETROSPECT 


profoundly  thankful  that  the  separation  took  place  without 

the  least  breach  of  friendly  feeling  on  either  side.  Indeed, 
we  bad  the  joy  of  knowing  that  the  step  we  took  com- 
mended itself  to  several  members  of  the  Committee, 
although  as  a  whole  the  Society  could  not  come  to  our 
position.  Depending  upon  God  alone  for  supplies,  we 
were  enabled  to  continue  a  measure  of  connection  with 
our  former  supporters,  sending  home  journals,  etc.,  for 
publication  as  before,  so  long  as  the  Society  continued  to 
exist 

The  step  we  had  taken  was  not  a  little  trying  to  faith. 
I  was  not  at  all  sure  what  God  would  have  me  do,  or 
whether  He  would  so  meet  my  need  as  to  enable  me  to 
continue  working  as  before.  I  had  no  friends  whatever 
from  whom  I  expected  supplies.  I  did  not  know  what 
means  the  Lord  might  use ;  but  I  was  willing  to  give  up 
all  my  time  to  the  service  of  evangelisation  among  the 
heathen,  if  by  any  means  He  would  supply  the  smallest 
amount  on  wliich  I  could  live ;  and  if  He  ^'cre  not  pleased 
to  do  this,  I  was  prepared  to  unaertake  whatever  work 
might  be  necessary  to  supply  myself,  giving  all  the  time 
that  could  be  spared  from  such  a  calling  to  more  distinctly 
missionary  efforts.  But  God  blessed  and  prospered  me ; 
and  how  glad  and  thankful  I  felt  when  the  separation  was 
really  effected  !  I  could  look  right  up  into  my  Father's 
face  with  a  satisfied  heart,  ready,  by  His  grace,  to  do  the 
next  thing  as  He  might  teach  me,  and  feeling  very  sure  of 
His  loving  care. 

And  how  blessedly  He  did  lead  me  on  and  provide  for 
me  I  can  never,  never  tell.  It  was  like  a  continuation  of 
some  of  my  earlier  home  experiences.  My  faith  was  not 
untried;  it  often,  often  failed,  and  I  was  so  sorry  and 
ashamed  of  the  failure  to  trust  such  a  Father.  But  oh  ! 
I  was  learning  to  know  Him.    I  would  not  even  then  have 


SETTLEMENT  IN  NINGPO 


lOI 


missed  the  trial.  He  became  so  near,  so  real,  so  intimate. 
The  occasional  difficulty  about  funds  never  came  from  an 
insufficient  supply  for  personal  needs,  but  in  consequence 
of  ministering  to  the  wants  of  scores  of  the  hungry  and 
dying  ones  around  us.  And  trials  far  more  searching  in 
other  ways  quite  eclipsed  these  difficulties;  and  being 
deeper,  brought  forth  in  consequence  richer  fruits.  How 
glad  one  is  now,  not  only  to  know,  with  dear  Miss  Haver- 
gal,  that — 

♦•They  who  trust  Him  wholly 
Find  Him  wholly  true," 

but  also  that  when  we  fail  to  trust  fully  He  still  re- 
mains unchangingly  faithful.  He  t's  wholly  true  whether 
we  trust  or  not.  "  If  we  believe  not,  He  abideth  faithful ; 
He  cannot  deny  Himself."  But  oh,  how  we  dishonour 
our  Lord  whenever  we  fail  to  trust  Him,  and  what  peace, 
blessing,  and  triumph  we  lose  in  thus  sinning  against  the 
Faithful  One  1  May  we  never  again  presume  in  anything 
to  doubt  Him  ! 

The  year  1857  was  a  troublous  time,  and  closed  with  the 
notorious  bombardment  of  Canton  by  the  British,  and  the 
commencement  of  our  second  Chinese  war.  Rumours  of 
trouble  were  everywhere  rife,  and  in  many  places  the 
missionaries  passed  through  not  a  little  danger.  In  Ningpo 
this  was  especially  the  case,  and  the  preserving  care  of  God 
in  answer  to  prayer  was  consequently  most  marked.  When 
the  awful  news  of  the  bombardment  of  Canton  reached  the 
Cantonese  in  NinL'po  their  wrath  and  indignation  knew  no 
bounds,  and  they  immediately  set  to  work  to  plot  the 
destruction  of  all  the  foreigners  resident  in  the  city  and 
neighbourhood.  It  was  well  known  that  many  of  the 
foreigners  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  for  worship  every 
Sunday  evening  at  one  of  the  missionary  houses,  and  the 
plan  was  «    ,urround  the  place  on  a  given  occasion  and 


I03 


A  RETROSPECT 


make  short  work  of  all  present,  cutting  off  afterwards  any 

who  might  not  be  present. 

The  sanction  of  the  Tao-t'ai,  or  chief  civil  magistrate  oi 
the  city,  was  easily  obtained;  and  nothing  remained  to 
hinder  the  execution  of  the  plot,  of  which  the  foreigners 
were  of  coi!rse  entirely  in  ignorance.  (A  similar  plot 
against  the  Portuguese  a  few  months  later  was  carried  out, 
and  between  fifty  and  sixty  were  massacred  in  open  daylight.) 
It  so  happened,  however,  that  one  of  those  acquainted  with 
the  conspiracy  had  a  friend  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
missionaries  ;  and  anxious  for  his  safety,  he  was  led  to  warn 
him  of  the  coming  danger,  and  urge  his  leaving  foreign 
emploj'.  The  servant  made  the  matter  known  to  his 
master,  and  thus  the  little  community  became  aware  of 
their  peril.  Realising  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  tiiey 
determined  to  n>eet  together  at  the  house  of  one  of  their 
number  to  seek  the  protection  of  the  Most  High,  and  to 
hide  under  the  shadow  of  His  wings.  Nor  did  they  thus 
meet  in  vain. 

At  the  very  time  wc  were  praying  the  Lord  was  working. 
He  led  an  inferior  mandarin,  the  Superintendent  of  Customs, 
to  call  upon  the  Tao-t'ai,  and  remonstrate  with  him  upon 
the  folly  of  permitting  such  an  attempt,  which  he  assured 
him  would  rouse  the  foreigners  in  other  places  to  come 
with  armed  forces  to  avenge  the  death  of  their  countrymen 
and  raze  the  city  to  the  ground.  The  Tao-t'ai  replied  that, 
when  the  foreigners  came  for  that  purpose,  he  should  deny 
all  knowledge  of  or  complicity  in  the  plot,  and  so  direct 
their  vengeance  against  the  Cantonese,  who  would  in  their 
turn  be  destroyed  ;  "  and  thus,"  said  he,  "  we  shall  get  rid 
of  both  Cantonese  and  foreigners  by  one  stroke  of  policy." 
The  Superintendent  of  Customs  assured  him  that  all  such 
attempts  at  evasion  would  be  useless ;  and,  finally,  the 
Tao-t'ai  sent  to  the  Cantonese,  withdrawing  his  permission, 


SETTLEMENT  IN  NINGPO  «03 

and  prohibiting  the  attack.  This  took  place  at  the  vciy 
time  when  we  were  asking  protection  of  the  Lord,  though 
we  did  not  become  acquainted  with  the  facts  until  some 
weeks  tater.    Thus  again  we  were  led  to  prove  that— 

"Sufficient  is  His  ann  alone, 
And  our  defence  is  sure." 

1  cannot  attempt  to  give  any  historical  record  of  the 
events  of  this  period,  but  ere  1857  terminated  Mr.  Jones 
and  I  were  cl  .ccred  by  tokens  of  blessing.  It  is  interestmg 
to  recall  the  circumstances  conne.:ted  with  the  first  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  Christ,  which  encouraged  us. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  preacLing  the  glad  tidmgs  of 
salvation  through  the  finished  work  of  Christ,  wh.a  a 
middle-aged  man  stood  up,  and  testified  before  h»s 
assembled  countrymen  to  his  faith  in  the  power  of  the 
Gospel. 

"  I  have  long  sought  for  the  Truth,"  said  he  earnestly, 
"as  my  fathers  did  before  me;  but  I  have  never  found  it 
I  have  travelled  far  and  near,  but  without  obtaining  it  I 
have  found  no  rest  in  Confucianism,  Buddhism,  or  Taoism  ; 
but  I  do  find  rest  in  what  I  have  heard  here  to-night. 
Henceforth  I  am  a  believer  in  Jesus." 

This  man  was  one  of  the  leading  officers  of  a  sect  of 
reformed  Buddhists  in  Ningpo.     A  short  time  after  his 
confession  of  faith  in  the  Saviour  there  was  a  meeting  of 
the  sect  over  which  he  had  formerly  presided.    I  accom- 
panied him  to  that  meeting,  .-d  there,  to  his  former  co 
religionists,  he  testified  of  the  peace  he  had  obtamed  m 
believing.    Soon  after,  one  of  his  former  companions  was 
converted  and  baptized.    Both  now  sleep  in  Jesus.  The 
first  of  these  two  long  continued  to  preach  to  his  country- 
men the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy.    A  few  nights  after  his 
conversion  he  asked  how  long  this  Gospel  had  been  known 


104 


A  RKTROSPECT 


in  England.  He  was  told  that  we  had  known  it  for  some 
hundreds  of  years. 

"What  I"  said  he,  amazed;  "is  it  possible  that  for 
hundreds  of  years  you  have  had  the  knowledge  of  these 
glad  tidings  in  your  possession,  and  yet  have  only  now 
come  to  preach  it  to  us?  My  father  sought  after  the 
Truth  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  died  without  finding 
it    Oh,  why  did  you  not  come  sooner  ?  " 

A  whole  generation  has  passed  away  since  that  mourn- 
ful inquiry  was  made ;  but  how  many,  alas  !  might  repeat 
the  same  question  to-day?  More  than  two  hundred 
millions  in  the  meanwhile  have  been  swept  into  eternity, 
without  an  offer  of  sf'vation.  How  long  shall  this  continue, 
and  the  Master's  words,  "To  every  creature,"  remain 
unheeded  ? 


CHAPTER  XVI 


TIMELY  SUrPLIKS 

NOT  infrequently  our  God  brings  His  people  into 
difficulties  on  purpose  that  they  may  come  to 
know  Him  as  they  could  not  otherwise  do.  Then  He 
reveals  Himself  as  "a  very  present  help  in  trouble,"  and 
makes  the  heart  glad  indeed  at  each  fresh  revelation  of  a 
Father's  faithfulness.  We  who  only  see  so  small  a  part 
of  the  sweet  issues  of  trial  often  feel  that  we  would  not 
for  anything  have  missed  them  ;  how  much  more  shall  we 
bless  and  magnify  His  Name  when  all  the  hidden  things 
are  brought  to  light  1 

In  the  autumn  of  1857,  just  one  year  after  I  came  to 
settle  in  Ningpo,  a  little  incident  occurred  that  did  much 
to  strengthen  our  faith  in  the  loving -kindness  and  ever- 
watchful  care  of  God. 

A  brother  in  the  Lord,  the  Rev.  John  Quartcrman,  of 
the  American  Presbyterian  Mission  North,  was  taken  with 
virulent  small-pox,  and  it  was  my  mournful  privilege  to 
nurse  him  through  his  suffering  illness  to  its  fatal  close. 
When  all  was  over,  it  became  necessary  to  lay  aside  the 
garments  worn  while  nursing,  for  fear  of  conveying  the  infec- 
tion to  others.  Not  having  sufficient  money  in  hand  to 
purchase  what  was  needful  in  order  to  make  this  change, 
prayer  was  the  only  resource.    The  Lord  answered  it  by 


10&  A  RETROSPECT 

the  unexpected  arrival  of  a  long-lobt  box  of  clothing  from 
Swatow,  that  had  remained  in  the  care  of  the  Rev.  William 
Burns  when  I  left  him  for  Shangliai,  in  the  early  summer 
of  the  previous  year.  The  arrival  of  the  things  just  at 
this  juncture  was  as  appropriate  as  it  was  remarkable, 
and  brought  a  sweet  sense  of  the  Kathkr's  own  providing. 
About  two  months  later  the  following  was  penned  :— 

Nov€mi*r  iM,  1857. 

Many  seem  to  think  that  I  am  very  poor.  This 
certc;!.!)'  is  true  enough  in  or"  sense,  but  I  thank  God 
it  is  "as  poor,  yet  making  many  -ich;  as  having  nothing,  yet 
possessing  all  things."  Arjd  my  God  shall  supply  att  my 
need;  to  Him  be  all  the  glory.  I  would  not,  if  I  could, 
be  otherwise  than  I  am— entirely  dependent  myself  upon 
the  Lord,  and  used  as  a  channel  of  help  to  others. 

On  Saturday,  the  4th  inst.,  our  regular  home  mail 
arrived    That  morning  we  supplied,  as  usual,  a  breakfast 
to  the  destitute  i)Oor,  who  came  to  the  number  of  seventy. 
Sometimes  they  do  not  reach  forty,  at  others  again  exceed- 
ing eighty.    They  come  to  us  every  day,  Lord's  Day 
excepted,  for  then  we  cannot  manage  to  attend  to  them 
and  get  through  all  our  other  duties  too.    Well,  on  that 
Saturday  morning  we  paid  all  expenses,  and  provided 
ourselves  for  the  morrow,  after  which  we  had  not  a  single 
dollar  left  between  us.    How  the  Lord  was  going  to 
provide  for  Monday  we  knew  not ;  but  over  our  mantel- 
piece hung  two  scrolls  in  the  Chinese  ch&r:xc\.Qx—El>emzer, 
•' Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us";  ^.nd  Jthovah-Jireh, 
"The  Lord  will  provide"— and  He  kept  us  from  doubting 
for  a  moment.    That  very  day  the  mail  came  in,  a  week 
sooner  than  was  expected,  and  Mr.  Jones  received  a  bill  for 
two  hundred  and  fourteen  dollars.    We  thanked  Con  and 
took  courage.    The  bill  was  taken  to  a  merchant,  and 


TIMELY  SUri'MKS  *^ 

although  there  is  usually  a  deU.y  of  several  days  in  getting 
the  change,  this  lime  he  siiiU,  "Send  down  on  Monday. 
We  sent,  and  though  he  had  not  been  able  to  buy  all  the 
dollars,  he  let  us  have  seventy  on  account ;  so  all  was  well. 
Oh,  it  is  sweet  to  live  tbus  directly  dependent  upon  the 
LoRU,  who  never  fails  us  ! 

On  Monday  the  poor  had  their  breakCast  as  usual,  for  we 
had  not  told  them  not  to  come,  being  assured  that  it  was 
the  Lord's  work,  and  that  the  l.oRt)  would  provide.  We 
could  not  help  our  eyes  filling  with  tears  of  gratitude  when 
we  saw  not  only  our  own  needs  supplied,  but  the  widow 
and  the  orphan,  the  bUnd  and  the  lame,  the  friendless  and 
the  destitute,  together  provided  for  by  the  bounty  of  Ihm 
who  feeds  tl.c  ravens.    "O  magnify  the  Lord  with  me. 
and  let  us  exalt  His  Name  together.  .  .  .  Taste  and  see 
that  the  Lord  is  good :  blessed  is  the  man  thai  irusteth  in 
Him.    O  fear  the  Lokd,  ye  His  saints :  for  there  is  no 
want  to  them  tl.at  fear  Him.      The  young  lions  do 
lack,  and  suffer  hunger:  but  they  that  seek  the  Lord 
shall  not  want  any  good  thing"— and  if  not  good,  why 
want  it  f 

IJui  even  two  hundred  dollars  cannot  last  for  ever,  and 
by  New  Year's  Day  supplies  were  again  getting  low.  At 
last,  on  January  6th,  1858,  only  one  solitary  cash  remained 
—the  twentieth  part  of  a  penny— in  the  joint  possession 
of  Mr.  Jones  and  myself;  but  though  tried  we  looked  to 
God  once  again  to  manifest  His  gracious  care.  Enough 
provision  was  found  in  the  house  to  supply  a  meagre 
breakfast ;  after  which,  having  neither  food  for  the  rest  of 
the  day,  nor  money  to  buy  any,  we  could  only  betake 
ourselves  to  Him  who  was  able  to  supply  all  our  need 
with  the  petition,  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 

After  prayer  and  deliberation  we  thought  that  perhaps 
we  ought  to  dispose  of  something  we  possessed  in  order  to 


lOl 


A  RETROSPECT 


meet  our  immediate  requirements.  Mut  on  looking  round 
we  saw  nothing  that  we  could  well  spare,  and  little  that  the 
Chinese  would  purchase  for  ready  money.  Credit  to  any 
Client  we  might  have  had,  could  we  conscientloudy  hint 
availed  ounelves  of  it,  hut  this  we  felt  to  be  unscrii^ural 
in  itself,  as  well  as  inconsistent  with  the  position  we  were 
in.  We  had,  indeed,  one  article— an  iron  stove — which 
we  knew  the  Chinese  would  readily  purchase;  but  we 
much  regretted  the  necessity  of  parting  with  it  At  length, 
however,  we  set  out  to  the  founder's,  and  after  a  walk  of 
some  distance  came  to  the  river,  which  we  had  intended  to 
cross  by  a  floating  bridge  of  boats;  but  here  me  Lord 
shut  up  our  path.  The  bridge  had  been  carried  away 
during  the  preceding  night  and  the  river  was  only  passable 
by  means  of  a  ferry,  the  fare  for  which  was  two  cash 
each  person.  As  we  only  possessed  one  cash,  our  course 
clearly  was  to  return  and  await  God's  own  interposition 
on  our  behalf. 

Upon  reaching  home,  we  found  that  Mrs  Jones  had  gone 
with  the  children  to  dine  at  a  friend's  house,  in  accordance 
with  an  invitation  accepted  some  days  previously.  Mr. 
Jones,  though  himself  included  in  the  invitation,  refused 
now  to  go  and  leave  me  to  fast  alone.  So  we  set  to  work 
and  carefully  searched  the  cupboards;  and  though  there 
was  nothing  to  eat,  we  found  u  small  packet  of  cocoa, 
which,  with  a  little  hot  water,  somewhat  revived  us.  After 
this  we  again  cried  to  the  Lord  in  our  trouble,  and  the 
Lord  heard  and  saved  us  out  of  all  our  distresses.  For 
while  we  were  still  upon  our  knees  a  letter  arrived  from 
England  containing  a  remittance. 

This  timely  supply  not  only  met  the  immediate  and 
urgent  need  of  the  day ;  for  in  the  assured  confidence  that 
God,  wh<»e  we  were  and  whom  v;c  served,  would  not  put 
to  shame  those  whose  whole  and  only  trust  was  in  HimselC 


TIMELY  SUrrLIF.S  «<»9 

my  marriage  had  been  previously  arranged  to  take  place 
just  fourteen  days  after  tins  date.  And  this  expectatloo 
was  not  disappointed;  for  "the  mountain*  .hall  depwt, 
and  the  hilli  be  removed,  but  My  kindneis  shall  not  depart 
from  thee,  neither  shall  the  covenant  of  My  peace  l)e 
removed."  And  althou'^h  during  subsequent  years  our 
faith  was  often  exercised,  and  sometimes  severely,  He  ever 
proved  faithful  to  His  promise,  and  never  sufltared  us  to 

tack  any  good  thing. 

Never,  perhaps,  was  there  a  union  that  more  fully 
realised  the  blessed  truth,  "Whoso  findeth  a  wife  fmdeth 
a  good  thing,  and  obtaineth  fovour  of  the  Lord."  My 
dear  wife  was  not  only  a  precious  gift  to  me ;  God  blessed 
her  to  many  others  during  the  twelve  eventful  years 
through  which  she  was  spared  to  those  that  loved  her  and 

to  China.  ...  , 

Hers  had  been  a  life  connection  with  missionary  work 
In  that  great  empire ;  for  her  father,  the  loved  and  devoted 
Samuel  Dyer,  was  amongst  the  very  earliest  representatives 
of  the  London  Mission  in  the  East.    He  reached  the  Straite 
as  early  as  1827,  and  for  sixteen  years  laboured  assiduously 
amongst  the  Chinese  in  Penang  and  "  igapore,  completing 
at  the  same  time  a  valuable  fount  of  Chinese  metallic  type, 
the  first  of  the  kind  that  had  then  been  attempted.  Dying 
in  1843,  it  was  never  Mr.  Dyer's  privilege  to  realise  his 
hopes  of  ultimately  being  able  to  settle  on  Chinese  soil ; 
but  his  children  lived  to  see  the  country  opened  to  the 
Gospel,  and  to  take  their  share  in  the  great  work  that  had 
been  so  dear  to  his  heart.    At  the  time  of  her  marriage, 
my  dear  wife  had  been  already  living  for  several  years  in 
Ningpo  with  her  friend,  Miss  Aldersey,  in  whose  varied 
missionary  operations  she  was  well  qualified  to  render 
valuable  assistance. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

GOD  A   REFUGK   FOR  US 

A SOMEWHAT  different  though  not  less  manifest  answei 
to  prayer  was  vouclisafed  early  in  t!ic  year  i  859.  My 
dear  wife  was  brought  very  low  hy  illness,  and  at  last  all 
hope  of  recovery  seemed  gone.  Every  remedy  tried  had 
proved  unavailing ;  and  Dr.  Parker,  who  was  in  attendance, 
had  nothing  more  to  suggest.  Life  was  ehljing  fast  away. 
The  only  ground  of  hope  was  that  Goi.  might  yet  see  fit  to 
raise  her  up,  in  answer  to  believing  but  submissive  prayer. 

The  afternoon  for  the  usual  prayer  meeting  among  the 
missionaries  had  arrived,  and  I  sent  in  a  request  for  prayer, 
which  was  most  warmly  responded  to.    Just  at  this  time  a 
remedy  tliat  had  not  yet  been  tried  was  suggested  to  my 
mind,  and  I  felt  that  I  must  hasten  to  consult  Dr.  Parker 
as  to  the  propriety  of  using  it.    It  was  a  moment  of  anguish. 
The  hollow  temples,  sunken  eyes,  and  pinched  features 
denoted  the  near  approach  of  death  ;  and  it  seemed  more 
than  questionable  as  to  whether  life  would  hold  out  until 
return.    It  was  nearly  two  miles  to  Dr.  Parker's  house, 
and  every  moment  appeared  long.    On  my  way  thither, 
while  wrestling  mightily  with  (^.on  in  prayer,  the  precious 
words  were  brought  with  power  to  my  soul,  "  Call  upon  Me 
in  the  day  of  trouble :  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
glorify  Me."    I  was  at  once  enabled  to  plead  them  in  faith, 


GOn  A  REFUOE  FOK  US 
,n,5  the  re^U  «s  doc,.,  .locp,  un„..UnMc  pc,™  nm.  jo,^ 

"'snS'tos  in  »n.ve,  ,o  prnyer  .he        of  „.y  o»n 

I  pnyer-hearing  CoD  «,  f«mi.l.  *.  m«ns  re<,u„.<l  (or  .« 

for  .he  maintenance  of  .l.e  hospU^J^"^^^^ 

the  Na""^  °  \  ^    Wiugdom  of  God,  not  means 

;:ra  aS\ra-r..e.  w  sh.,  he  ^aea  .o 

such  p.o«i.s  .ere  -^j;;^-"    ^^.  Z 


112 


A  RETROSPECT 


home  have  anticipated  it.    P    the  Lord  had  foreseen  the 
need,  and  already  funds  were  on  the  way  to  supply  it 

At  times  there  were  not  less  than  fifty  in-patients  in  the 
hospital,  besides  a  large  number  who  daily  attended  the 
out-patient  department.  Thirty  beds  were  ordinarily  al- 
lotted to  free  patients  and  their  attendants ;  and  about  as 
many  to  opium -smokers,  who  paid  for  their  board  while 
being  cured  of  the  habit.  As  all  the  wants  of  the  sick  in 
the  wards  were  supplied  gratuitously,  in  addition  to  the 
remedial  appliances  needed  for  the  out-patient  work,  the 
daily  expenses  were  considerable  j  besides  which,  a  number 
of  native  attendants  were  required,  involving  their  support. 

When  Dr.  Parker  handed  the  hospital  over  to  me  he 
was  ^ble  to  leave  money  that  would  meet  the  salaries  and 
working  expenses  of  the  current  month,  and  little  more. 
Being  unable  to  guarantee  their  support,  his  native  staff 
retired;  and  then  I  mentioned  the  circumstances  to  the 
members  of  our  little  church,  some  of  whom  volunteered 
to  help  me,  depending,  like  myself,  upon  the  Lord;  and 
they  with  me  continued  to  wait  upon  God  that  in  some 
way  or  other  He  would  provide  for  His  own  work.  Day 
by  day  the  stores  diminished,  and  they  were  all  but  ex- 
hausted when  one  day  a  remarkable  letter  reached  me 
from  a  friend  in  England  which  contained  a  cheque  for 
jC^o.    The  letter  stated  that  the  sender  had  recently  lost 
his  father,  and  had  inherited  his  property;  that  not  desiring 
to  increase  his  personal  expenditure,  he  wished  to  hold 
the  money  which  had  now  been  left  to  him  to  further  the 
Lord's  work.    He  enclosed  the  ^50,  saying  that  I  might 
know  of  some  special  need  for  it ;  but  leaving  me  free  to 
use  it  for  my  own  support,  or  in  any  way  that  the  Lord 
might  lead  me ;  only  asking  to  know  how  it  was  applied, 
and  whether  there  was  need  for  more. 

After  a  little  season  of  thanksgivii^  with  my  dear  wife, 


GOD  A  REFUGE  FOR  US  "3 

I  called  my  native  helpers  into  our  little  chapel,  and  trans- 
lated  to  them  the  letter.    I  need  not  say  how  rejoiced  they 
were,  and  that  we  together  praised  Gov.    They  returned 
to  their  work  in  the  hospital  with  overflowing  hearts,  and 
told  out  to  the  patients  what  a  God  was  ours ;  appealing 
to  them  whether  their  idols  had  ever  helped  th.m  so. 
liolh  helpers  and  patients  were  blessed  spiritually  through 
this  remarkable  provision,  and  from  that  time  the  LoRD 
provided  all  that  was  necessary  for  carrying  on  the  institu- 
tion, in  addition  to  what  was  needed  for  the  mamtenance 
of  my  own  family,  and  for  sustaining  other  branches  of 
missionary  work  under  my  care.     When   ni-.  months 
later.  I  was  obliged  through  failure  of  health  to  relinquish 
this  charge.  I  was  able  to  leave  more  funds  in  :..nd  for 
the  support  of  the  hospital  than  were  forthcoming  at  the 

time  I  undertook  it.  .    ,  j  • 

But  not  only  were  pecuniary  supplies  vouchsafed  m 
answer  to  prayer-many  lives  were  spared;  persons  appar- 
ently in  hopeless  stages  of  disease  were  restored,  and 
success  was  given   in  cases  of  serious  and  dangerous 
operations.     In  the  case  of  one  poor  man,  whose  legs 
were  amputated  under  very  unfavourable  circumstances 
healthy  action  took  place  with  such  rapidity  that  both 
wounds  were  healed  in  less  than  two  weeks.    And  more 
permanent  benefits  than  these  were  conferred.  Many 
were  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity;  not  a  few 
wught  the  Lord  in  faith  and  prayer,  and  experienced  the 
power  of  the  Great  Thysician  to  cure  the  sin-sick  soul. 
During  the  nine  months  above  alluded  to  sixteen  patients 
from  the  hospital  were  baptized,  and  more  than  thirty 
others  became  candidates  for  admission  into  one  or  other 
of  the  Christian  churches  in  the  city. 

Thus  the  year  i860  began  with  openings  on  all  hands, 
but  time  and  strength  were  sadly  too  limited  to  admit  of 


"4 


A  RETROSPECT 


their  being  used  to  the  best  advantage.  For  some  time 
the  help  of  additional  workers  had  been  a  much-felt  need ; 
and  in  January  very  definite  prayer  was  made  to  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest  that  He  would  thrust  forth  more  labourers 
into  this  special  portion  of  the  great  world-field.  Writing 
to  relatives  at  home  in  England,  under  date  of  January 
1 6th,  i860,  I  thus  expressed  the  deep  longing  of  our 
hearts : — 

Do  you  know  any  earnest,  devoted  young  men  desirous 
of  serving  God  n  China,  who — not  wishing  for  more  than 
their  actual  su{.j<ort — would  be  willing  to  come  out  and 
labour  here  ?  Oh,  for  four  or  five  such  helpers  !  They 
would  probably  begin  to  preach  in  Chinese  in  six  months 
time ;  and  in  answer  to  prayer  the  necessary  means  for 
their  support  would  be  found. 

But  no  one  came  to  help  us  then ;  and  under  the 
incessant  physical  and  mental  strain  involved  in  the  care 
of  the  hospital  during  Dr.  Parker's  absence,  as  well  as  the 
continued  discharge  of  my  other  missionary  duties,  my 
own  health  began  rapidly  to  fail,  and  it  became  a  serious 
question  as  to  whether  it  would  not  be  needful  to  return 
to  England  for  a  time. 

It  was  hard  to  face  this  possibility.  The  growing 
church  and  work  seemed  to  need  our  presence,  and  it  was 
no  small  trial  to  part  from  those  whom  we  had  learned  so 
truly  to  love  in  the  Lord.  Thirty  or  forty  native  Christ- 
ians had  been  gathered  into  the  recently  organised  church  ; 
and  the  well-filled  meetings,  and  the  warm-hearted  earnest 
ness  of  the  converts,  all  bespoke  a  future  of  much  promise. 
At  last,  however,  completely  prostrated  by  repeated  attacks 
of  illness,  the  only  hope  of  restoration  seemed  to  lie  in  a 
voyage  to  England  and  a  brief  stay  in  its  more  bracing 
climate ;  and  this  necessity,  painful  though  it  seemed  at 


(JOD  A  RKFUGE  FOR  US 


the  time,  proved  to  be  only  another  opiiortiinity  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  faithfulness  and  loving  care  of  Him 
"who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own 
will." 

As  heretofore,  the  Lord  was  present  with  1 1  is  aid  The 
means  for  our  journey  were  supplied,  and  that  so  liberally 
that  we  were  able  to  bring  with  us  a  native  Christian  to 
assist  in  translation  or  other  literary  work,  and  to  instruct 
in  the  language  such  helpers  as  the  Lord  might  raise  up 
for  the  extension  of  the  Mission.  That  He  would  give  us 
fellow -labourers  we  had  no  doubt;  for  we  had  been 
enabled  to  seek  them  from  Him  in  earnest  and  believing 
prayer  for  many  months  previously. 

The  day  before  leaving  China  we  wrote  as  follows  to 
our  friend  W.  T.  Berger,  Esq.,  whom  we  had  known  in 
England,  and  who  had  ever  strengthened  our  hands  in  the 
Lord  while  in  that  distant  land  : — 

"  We  are  bringing  with  us  a  young  Chinese  brother  to 
assist  in  literary  work,  and  I  hope  also  in  teaching  the 
dialect  to  those  whom  the  Lord  may  induce  to  return 
with  us." 

And  throughout  the  voyage  our  earnest  cry  to  God  was 

that  He  would  overrule  our  stay  at  home  for  good  to 
China,  and  make  it  instrumental  in  raising  up  at  least  five 
helpers  t*-  '  Sour  in  the  province  of  Cheh-kiang. 

The  n  which  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  answer  these 
earnest  .  believing  pia;,s;rs,  and  the  "exceeding  abund- 
antly "  with  which  He  crowned  them,  we  shall  now  sketch 
in  brief  outline. 


CHAPTER  XVI II 


A  NEW  AGENCY  NEEDED 

•«  TV  yr  Y  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neiihc  are  your 
iVi  ways  My  wavs,  saith  the  Lord,  l  or  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  My  ways  higher 
than  your  ways,  and  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts."* 
How  true  are  these  words !  When  the  Lord  is  bringing 
in  great  blessing  in  the  best  possible  way,  how  oftentimes 
our  unbelieving  hearts  are  feeling,  if  not  sayin::.  like  Jacob 
of  old,  "  All  these  things  are  against  me."  Or  we  are  filled 
with  fear,  as  were  the  disciples  when  the  Lord,  walking  on 
the  waters,  drew  near  to  quiet  the  troubled  sea,  and  to 
bring  them  quickly  to  their  desired  haven.  And  yet  mere 
common-sense  ought  to  tell  us  that  He,  whose  way  is  per- 
fect, can  make  no  mistakes ;  that  He  who  has  promised  to 
*'  perfect  that  which  concerneth  "  us,  and  whose  minute  care 
counts  the  very  hairs  of  our  heads,  and  forms  for  us  our 
circumstances,  must  know  better  than  we  the  way  to  forward 
our  truest  interests  and  to  glorify  His  own  Name. 

"  Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err 
And  scan  His  work  in  vain  ; 

Gou  is  His  uwn  IiUerpicler, 
And  He  will  make  it  plain." 


>  Isaiah  Iv.  S,  9. 


A  NEW  AGENCY  WEEDED 


117 


To  me  it  seemed  a  great  calamity  that  failure  of  health 
compelled  my  relinquishing  work  for  GoD  in  China,  just 
when  it  was  more  fruitful  than  ever  before ;  and  to  leave 
the  little  band  of  Christians  in  Ningpo,  needing  much  care 
and  teaching,  was  a  great  sorrow.    Nor  was  the  sorrow 
lessened  when,  on  reaching  England,  medical  testimony 
assured  me  that  return  to  China,  at  least  for  years  to  come, 
was  impossible.    Little  did  I  then  realise  that  the  long 
separation  from  China  was  a  necessary  step  towards  the 
formation  of  a  work  which  God  would  bless  as  He  has 
blessed  the  China  Inland  Mission.    While  in  the  field, 
the  pressure  of  claims  immediately  around  me  was  so  great 
that  I  could  not  think  much  of  the  still  greater  needs  of  the 
regions  farther  inland ;  and,  if  they  were  thought  of,  could 
do  nothing  for  them.    But  while  detained  for  some  years  in 
England,  daily  viewing  the  whole  country  on  the  large  map 
on  the  wall  of  my  study,  I  was  as  near  to  the  vast  regions 
of  Inland  China  as  to  the  smaller  districts  in  which  I  had 
laboured  personally  for  God  ;  and  prayer  was  often  the  only 
resource  by  which  the  burdened  heart  could  gain  any 
relief. 

As  a  long  absence  from  China  appeared  inevitable,  the 
next  question  was  how  best  to  serve  China  while  in  Eng- 
land, and  this  led  to  my  engaging  for  several  years,  with 
the  late  Rev.  F.  F.  Gough  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  in  the  revision  of 
a  version  of  the  New  Testament  in  the  colloquial  of  Ningpo 
for  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  In  undertaking 
this  work,  in  my  short-sightedness  I  saw  nothing  beyond 
the  use  that  the  Book,  and  the  marginal  references,  would  be 
to  the  native  Christians;  but  I  have  often  seen  since  that, 
without  those  months  of  feeding  and  feasting  on  the  Word 
of  Gon,  I  should  have  been  quite  unprepared  to  form,  on 
its  present  basis,  a  mission  like  the  China  Inland  Mission. 

In  the  study  of  that  Divine  Word  I  learned  that,  to 


Ill  A  RETROSPECT 

obtain  successful  labourers,  not  elaborate  appeals  for  help 
but,  first,  earnest  prayer  to  God  to  thrust  forth  labourers, 
and,  second,  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
Church,  so  that  men  should  be  unable  to  stay  at  home,  were 
what  was  needed  I  saw  that  the  Apostolic  plan  was  not 
to  raise  ways  and  means,  but  to  go  and  do  the  work,  trusting 
in  His  sure  Word  who  has  said,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you." 

In  the  meantime  the  prayer  for  workers  for  Cheh-kiang 
was  being  answered.  The  first,  Mr.  Meadows,  sailed  for 
China  with  his  young  wife  in  January  1862,  through  the 
kind  co-operation  and  aid  of  our  friend  Mr.  Berger.  The 
second  left  England  in  1864,  having  her  passage  provided 
by  the  Foreign  Evangelisation  Society.  The  third  and 
fourth  reached  Ningpo  on  July  24th,  1865.  A  fifth  soon 
followed  them,  reaching  Ningpo  in  September  1865.  Thus 
the  prayer  for  the  five  workers  was  fully  answered  j  and  we 
were  encouraged  to  look  to  God  for  still  greater  things. 

Months  of  earnest  prayer  and  not  a  few  abortive  efforts 
had  resulted  in  a  deep  conviction  that  a  special  agency  was 
essential  for  the  evangelisation  of  Inland  Chinx  At  this 
time  I  had  not  only  the  daily  help  of  prayer  and  conference 
with  my  beloved  friend  and  fellow-worker  the  late  Rev.  F. 
F.  Gough,  but  also  invaluable  aid  and  counsel  from  Mr; 
and  Mrs.  Berger,  with  whom  I  and  my  dear  wife  (whose 
judgment  and  piety  were  of  priceless  \  alue  at  this  juncture) 
spent  many  d^ys  in  prayerful  deliberation.  The  grave 
difficulty  of  possil)ly  interfering  with  existing  missionary 
operations  at  home  was  foreseen ;  but  it  was  concluded 
that,  by  simple  trust  in  Gon,  suitable  agency  might  be  raised 
up  and  sustained  wilhoul  interfering  injuriously  with  any 
existing  work.  I  had  also  a  gro'iving  conviction  ll-.at  God 
would  have  me  to  seek  from  Him  the  needed  workers,  and 


A  NEW  AGENCY  NEEDED 

to  go  forth  with  ihcni.     lUU  for  a  long  time  unlielief 
hindered  my  taking  the  first  step. 

How  inconsistent  unbelief  always  is!    I  had  no  doubt 
that,  if  1  prayed  for  workers,        ih.e  Nan.c"  of  the  LoRO 
Jesus  Christ,  they  would  be  given  me.    I  had  no  dotibt 
that,  in  answer  to  such  prayer,  the  means  for  our  gomg 
forth  would  be  provided,  and  that  doors  would  be  opened 
before  us  in  unreached  parts  of  the  1- mpire.    Bui  I  had  not 
then  learned  to  trust  Goo  for  keeping  power  and  grace  for 
myself,  so  no  wonder  that  I  could  not  trust  Him  to  keep 
others  who  might  be  prepared  to  go  with  me.    I  fenre.l  hat 
in  the  midst  of  the  dangers,  difficulties,  and  tnals  which 
would  necessarily  be  connected  with  such  a  work,  some  who 
were  comparatively  inexperienced  Christians  m.ght  break 
down,  and  bitterly  reproach  me  for  having  encouraged  them 
to  undertake  an  enterprise  for  which  they  were  unequal. 

Yet  what  was  I  to  do?    The  feeling  of  blood-gudtmess 
became  more  and  more  intense.    Si.nply  because  I  refu^ 
to  ask  for  them,  the  labourers  did  not  come  forward-^id 
not  go  out  to  China-and  every  day  tens  of  thousands  were 
passing  away  to  Christless  graves!     Perishing  China  so 
filled  my  heart  and  mind  that  there  was  no  rest  by  day, 
and  little  sleep  by  night,  till  health  broke  down.    At  the 
invitation  of  my  beloved  and  honoured  friend.  Mr.  George 
Pearse  (then  of  the  Stock  Exchange),  I  went  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  him  in  Brighton. 

On  Sunday,  June  25th,  1865,  unable  to  bear  the  sight 
of  a  congregation  of  a  thousand  or  more  Christian  people 
rejoicing  in  their  own  security,  while  millions  were  penshmg 
for  lack  of  knowledge,  I  wandered  out  on  the  sands  alone 
in  great  spiritual  agony;  and  there  the  Lord  conquered 
my  unbelief,  and  I  surrendered  myself  to  God  for  this 
service  I  told  Him  that  all  the  responsibility  as  to  issues 
and  consequences  must  rest  with  Him  ;  that  as  His  ser%'ant, 


A  RETROSPECT 


il  was  mine  to  obey  and  to  follow  Him — His,  to  direct,  ic 
rare  for,  ;ind  to  guide  me  and  those  who  might  labour  with 
me.  Need  I  say  that  peace  at  once  flowed  into  my  bur- 
dened  heart  7  There  and  then  I  asked  Him  for  twenty- 
four  fellow-workers,  two  for  each  of  eleven  inland  provinces 
uhirh  were  without  a  missionary,  and  two  for  Mongolia ; 
and  writing  the  petition  on  the  margin  of  the  Bible  I  had 
with  me,  I  returned  home  with  a  heart  enjoying  rest  such 
$fl  it  had  been  a  stranger  to  for  months,  and  with  an  assur- 
ance that  the  Lord  would  bless  His  own  work  and  that  I 
should  share  in  the  blessing.  I  had  previously  prayed,  and 
asked  prayer,  that  workers  might  be  raised  up  for  the  eleven 
then  unoccupied  provinces,  and  thrust  forth  and  provided 
for,  but  had  not  surrendered  myself  to  be  their  leader. 

About  this  time,  with  the  helj)  of  my  dear  wife,  I  wrote 
the  little  book,  China's  Spiritual  Need  and  Claims. 
Every  paragraph  was  steeped  in  prayer.  With  the  help  of 
Mr.  Berger,  who  had  given  valued  aid  in  the  revision  of 
the  manuscript,  and  who  bore  the  expense  of  printing  an 
edition  of  3000  copies,  they  were  soon  put  in  circulation. 
I  spoke  publicly  of  the  proposed  woric  as  opportunity  per- 
mitted, specially  at  the  Perth  and  Mildmay  Conferences  of 
1865,  and  continued  in  prayer  for  fellow-workers,  who  were 
soon  raised  up,  and  after  due  correspondence  were  invited 
to  my  home,  then  in  the  East  of  London.  When  one 
house  became  insufficient,  the  occupant  of  the  adjoining 
house  removed,  and  I  was  able  to  rent  it  j  and  when  that 
in  its  turn  became  insufficient,  further  accommodation  was 
provided  close  by.  Soon  there  were  a  number  of  men  and 
women  under  preparatory  training,  and  engaging  in  evan- 
gelistic work  which  tested  in  some  measure  their  qualifi- 
cations as  soul-winners. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


I 


THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  C.  1.  M. 

r  was  thus  that  in  the  year  1865  the  China  Ini.ani. 
_  Mission  was  organised;  and  the  workers  a'ready  in 
the  field  were  incorporated  into  it.  W.  T.  Berger,  Esq., 
then  residing  at  Saint  Hill,  near  V^t  Grinstead,  without 
whose  help  and  encouragement  I  could  not  have  gone 
forward,  undertook  ihe  direction  of  the  home  department 
of  the  work  during  my  anticipated  absence  in  China ;  and 
I  proposed,  as  soon  as  arrangements  could  be  completed, 
to  go  out  with  the  volunteers  and  take  the  direction  of  the 
work  in  the  fieki.  For  the  support  of  the  workers  already 
in  China,  our  friends  at  home  were  sending  in  unsolicited 
contributions  from  time  to  time,  and  every  need  was  met 

We  had  now,  however,  to  look  forward  to  the  outgoing 
of  a  party  of  sixteen  or  seventeen,  and  estimated  that  from 
^^1500  to  ;^2ooo  might  be  required  to  cover  outfits, 
passage-money,  and  initial  expenses.     I  wrote  a  little 
p-..mphlet,  calling  it  "Occasional  Paper,  No.  I."  (intending 
in  succf<>ive  numbers   to  give  to  donors  and  friends 
accounts  of  the  work  wrought  through  us  in  China),  and 
in  that  paper  stated  the  anticipated  needs  for  Qoating  the 
enterprise.    I  expected  that  God  would  incline  the  hearts  of 
some  of  the  readers  to  send  contributions  :  I  had  determined 
never  to  use  oersonal  solicitation,  or  to  make  collections,  or 
to  issue  coUecling-books.   Missionary-boxes  were  thought  un- 
objectionable, and  we  had  a  fev  prepared  for  those  who  might 
ask  for  them,  and  have  continued  to  use  them  ever  since. 


IM  A  RETR08P1CT 

It  was  February  6th,  1866,  when  I  sent  my  manufcript 
Ot  "Occaiional  Paper,  No.  I.,"  with  a  design  for  the  cover, 
to  the  printer.  Kroni  delays  in  enj^raving  and  printing, 
it  was  March  12th  when  the  bales  of  paniphlctt  were 
delivered  at  my  house.  Now  on  February  6th  a  daily 
prayer- meeting,  from  12  to  i  o'clock,  had  been  com- 
menced, to  a>k  for  the  needed  funds.  And  that  we  had 
not  asked  in  vain,  the  following  extract  from  "  Occasional 
Paper,  No.  11."  will  show 

••The  receipts  for  1864  were  £51  :  ;  for  1865, 
from  January  to  June,  2 1  :  i  2  :  6,  besides  two  free  pas- 
sages ;  from  June  to  December,  ^923:12:8.  Hindrances 
having  occurred,  the  MS.  of  the  •Occasional  Paper,  No.  I.' 
was  not  completed  till  February  6th,  1866.  Up  to  this 
time  we  hao  -eccived  (from  Dot  (>nilier  30th)     1 7°  ^  8  =  3- 

"\Vc  felt  .uuch  encouraged  by  the  receipt  of  so  much 
money  in  little  more  than  a  month,  as  it  was  entirely  un- 
solicited by  us— save  from  God.  But  it  was  also  evident 
that  we  must  ask  the  Lord  to  do  yet  greater  things  for  us, 
or  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  party  of  from  ten  to  sixteen 
to  leave  in  the  middle  of  May.  Dai/j-  united  prayer  was  there- 
fore offered  to  GoD  for  the  funds  needful  for  the  outfits  and 
passages  of  as  many  as  He  would  have  to  go  out  in  May. 

"  Owing  to  tiie  delays  mentioned  above  in  the  printing  of 
the  'Occasional  Paper,'  it  was  not  ready  for  the  publisher 
until  March  12th.  On  this  day  I  again  examined  my 
mission  cash-book,  and  the  comparison  of  the  result  of 
the  two  similar  periods  of  one  month  and  six  days  each, 
one  before  and  one  nfter  special  prayer  for  1500  to 
£2000,  was  very  striking  ; — 

"  Receipts  from  December  jolh  to  February  6th  ^170    8  3 

Feb.  6th  to  Mar.  tath  ;^I774    5  " 
"Funds  advised,  since  received      20.)    o  o 

 i\91A    5  >» 


I 


THE  FORMATION  OV  THE  C.  I.  M.  ««3 

..This.  U  W.11  ho  noticed,  wa>  ^rr;>..  to  the  circulation 
of  the  'Occasional  I'apcr.' and,  .onsciv.cntly  wa,  not  he 
lult  of  it.  It  was  the  response  of  a  fa.h M  (.on  to  he 
united  prayer,  of  those  whom  He  had  called  to  serve  H.m 
in  the  Gospel  of  His  dear  Son.  .u-^  «f  »k* 

"We  can  now  compare  wuh  these  two  periods  a  hud  of  the 
,  Jextent.    From  March  lath  to  April  .8th  the  re.cpt 
were  £$29,  -howing  that  when  C.ou  h,,d  sup,.hed  the 
^^ciafnU'the  special  supply  also  ceased,    'l  ruly  there  .s  a 
LiviNO  C;....  and  He  is  the  henrer  and  answerer  of  P^'-^  «  ; 

But  this  gracious  answer  to  prayer        «  f 
difficult  to  circulate  "Occasional  Pai-cr,  No.  I     fo  't 
stated  as  a  need  that  which  was  alrcadv  supphcd.  Ihe 
difficulty  was  obviated  by  the  is.ue  with  each  copy  of  a 
cSed  inset  stating  that  the  funds  for  outfit  and  pas^e 
were  already  in  hand  in  answer  to  prayer.    We  were 
reminded  of  the  difficulty  of  Mo.cs-not  a  very  comn^on 
o.^Tn  the  present  day-and  of  the  proclamat.on  he  had 
to  send  through  the  ca.np  to  the  people  to  prepare  no 
l  e  for  the  buildtn,  of  the  Tabernacle,  -  the  g'fts  . 
hand  were  already  too  much.    We  arc  conv.nced  thatj^ 
Zre  were  iess  solicitation  for  nu-ncy  and  >non  dependence 
upo^  the  power  of  the  Ho,,v  Gnosr  and  upon  the  deepen- 
ing of  spiritual  Ufe.  the  experience  of  Moses  would  be  a 
common  one  in  every  branch  of  Christian  work. 

Preparations  for  sailing  to  China  were  at  o'v  c  proceeded 
with.    About  this  time  I  was  a>ked  to  gne  a  lecture  on 
China  in  a  vUlage  not  very  far  from  London,  arjd  agreed  to 
do  so  on  condidou  that  there  should  be  no  cc  lect.on,  and 
L  this  should  be  announced  on  the  bills.    The  ,entle>nan 
who  invited  me,  and  who  1  indly  presided  a.s 
he  had  never  had  that  .  o.ulition  imposed  before.    He  ac- 
cepted  It,  however,  ar.d  the  bills  were  issued  accordmgly  for 
be  nd  or  3rd  of  May.   With  the  aid  of  a  large  map,  some- 


A  RETROSPECT 


thing  of  the  extent  and  population  and  deep  spiritual  need 
of  China  was  presented,  and  many  were  evidently  impressed. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  chairman  said  tiiat  by 
my  request  it  had  been  intimated  on  the  bills  that  there 
would  be  no  collection  ;  but  he  felt  that  many  present 
would  be  distressed  and  burdened  if  they  had  not  the 
opportunity  of  contributing  something  towards  the  good 
work  proi)osed.    He  trusted  tliat  as  the  proposition  eman- 
ated entirely  from  himself,  and  expressed,  he  felt  sure,  the 
feelings  of  many  in  the  audience,  I  should  not  object  to  it 
I  begged,  however,  that  the  condition  agreed  to  might  be 
carried  out ;  pointing  out  among  other  reasons  for  making 
no  collection,  that  the  very  reason  adduced  by  our  kind 
chairman  was,  to  my  mind,  one  of  the  strongest  for  not 
making  it    My  wish  was,  not  that  those  present  should  be 
relieved  by  making  such  contribution  as  might  there  and 
then  be  convenient,  under  the  influence  of  a  present 
emotion  ;  but  that  each  one  should  go  home  burdened  with 
the  deep  need  of  China,  and  ask  of  God  what  He  would 
have  them  to  do.    If,  after  thought  and  prayer,  they  were 
satisfied  that  a  pecuniary  contribution  was  what  He  wanted 
of  them,  it  could  be  given  to  any  Missionary  Society  having 
agents  in  China  ;  or  it  might  be  posted  to  our  London 
office ;  but  that  perhaps  in  many  cases  what  God  wanted 
was  not  a.  money  contribution,  but  personal  consecration  to 
His  service  abroad  ;  or  the  giving  up  of  son  or  daughter — 
more  precious  than  silver  or  gold — to  His  service.    I  added 
that  I  thought  the  tendency  of  a  collection  was  to  leave  the 
impression  that  the  all-important  thing  v.as  money,  whereas 
no  amount  of  money  could  convert  a  single  soul ;  that  what 
was  needed  was  that  men  and  wumen  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  should  give  Ihemselves  to  the  work  :  for  the  support 
of  such  there  would  never  be  a  lack  of  funds.    As  my  wish 
was  evidently  very  strong,  the  chairman  kindly  yielded  to 


THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  C.  I.  M-  "5 

it,  and  closed  the  meeting.    He  told  me,  however,  at  the 
upper-table,  that  he  thought  it  was  a  mistake  on  my  par, 
and  Lt.  r^otwithstanding  all  I  had  said,  a  few  persons  had 
put  some  little  contributions  into  his  hands. 
'   Next  morning  at  breakfas.,  nw  kind  host  can.e  m  a  htt  e 
late  and  acknowledged  to  not  having  had  a  very  good  mght. 
.r';r  breakfast  he  asked  n.e  to  his  study,  an    g.vmg  me 
;      contrnnuions  handed  to  him  the  night  before 

,  thought  last  night,  Mr.  Taylor,  that  you  were  m  the 
wongal^ut  a  collection;  I  am  now  convmced  >-ou  were 
quke  right.    As  I  thought  in  the  night  of  that  stream  of 
s^s  in  China  ever  passing  onward  into  the  dark  I  could 
onl  cry  as  you  suggested.  '  LoKt>,  what  wilt  Thou  ^ave - 
to  do?'    I  think  I  have  obtained  the  gu.dance  I  sought, 
and  here  it  is."     He  handed  me  a  checjue  ^5oo, 
addin-'  that  if  there  had  been  a  collection  he  would  have 
:ten  a  few  pounds  to  it.  b-.t  now  this  cheque  was  the 
Lult  of  having  spent  no  small  part  of  t^7>gh™^^^ 

I  need  scarcely  say  how  surprised  and  thankful  I  was 
for  this  .'ift.    I  had  received  at  the  breakfast-table  a  letter 
from  Messrs.  Killick,  Martin  and  Co..  shipping  agents,  m 
wh"h  they  stated  that  they  could  offer  us  the  whole 
passenger  accommodation  of  the  ship  Lafnmerrm.r.    I  went 
^rect  to  the  ship,  found  it  in  every  way  suitable,  and  paui 
fhe  cheque  on' account.     As  above  stated,  the  unds 
deemed  needed  had  been  already  in  hand  for  some  time 
but  the  coincidence  of  the  simultaneous  offer  of  the  sh^p 
accommodation  and  this  munificent  gift-Goo's  exceeding 
abundantly       greatly  encouraged  my  heart. 

On  the  26th  of  May  we  sailed  for  Chma  m  the  Z«««*r- 
nuir.  a  missionary  party  of  16  (besides  my  four  children  and 
their  nurse,  and  Miss  Bausum  (afterwards  Mrs.  Barchet) ;  m 
T^^  passengers.  Mr.  Berger  took  charge  of  the  home 
department,  and  thu*  the  C.  I.  M.  was  fully  inaugurated. 


CHAPTER  XX 


THE  MISSION   IN    1 906 

'"pHE  evLius  skcuhed  in  the  lasi  two  chapters  have 
1      been  more  fully  delineated  by  Miss  Guinness  in 

her  interesting  S/f>n  of  the  Ch'mn  Inland  }rifsion,  which 
continues  its  l,i~tuiy  lo  llie  yc.u  1894.  It  is  indeed 
a  record  of  the  goodness  of  Goi',  every  remembrance  of 
which  calls  for  gratitude  and  praise.  We  can  only  here 
briefly  mention  a  few  facts  referring  our  readers  to  Miss 
Guinness's  work  for  all  iiriai.-. 

After  a  voya-e  of  many  nief  ies  the  Laiiimermuir  party 
safely  reached  China,  and  durin-  first  ten  years  stations 
and  out-stations  were  opened  in  many  cities  and  towns  in 
four  provinces  wl.ich  Imlierto  had  been  unreached  by  the 
Co.pel.  At  home  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'.erger  continued  their 
devoted  service  until  March  i<jth,  1S72,  I  having  returned 
to  England  the  year  before.  Shortly  after  this  the  London 
Council  was  formed,  wliici.  lus  now  for  several  years  been 
assisted  by  an  auxi  iaiy  Couiicil  of  ladies.  A  Scotch 
Council  was  al>(j  formed  in  (llu-gow  a  tew  years  ago. 

A  visit  to  America  in  18S8  issued  in  the  formation  of 
the  Council  for  North  Anicricj,  ;uul  a  similar  Council  for 
Aiisiialasia  was  conimciu  cd  in  Melbourne  two  ycara  later. 
In  the  field  a  China  Council  was  organibcd  in  1886,  com- 
posed of  senior  missionaries  who  meet  (juarterly  in  Shanghai 


TlIK   MISSION   IN'  '906 

,    ,    < '  I  \i  nrii  ci  'hi  Commitiees 
cicely  a.socia>cdw,..,  .he  ..  .  ^I^^-G^m. 
_i„  England,  Nor.ay,  b«-e<l'-".  '  „,,(,  „„„ 

::trra:r„i  ":.™..a.«  oc c m.,  ..d 

who  work  unacr  iis  dncrUon.  j^,^^      Uibour  arc 

Duly  quaUr.cd  candidates  for  f  ^^^^.jj^j 

„  .,pted  without  '>?"?^:'^rf  n     -nJ  truths: 

^^^^  -^TirL:  o;:c.:ii.rtenn.oralsuppl^^^ 
these  go  out  m  d-      1-  ^^^^^^     ^^e  M.ss.on 

.   in  oml  whatever  ;  and  knowing  that 
do  not  guaranty.      ■  '"co'  .  .  ,,,inister  to 

:;rr  need,  and  has  »;»;"^'^^  ^        .'tL  and  al,™ad 

^\:trr;  :^.hn;::;:.::u.o  .he  offices  or 

are  met  by  vom.nar>  ,„i;rif»tton   bv  those  who 

..,sh  to  aid  m  tta»  enor         1-  ^^^^         ,„  ,,,5 

C^peUhroughout  U  u      '  „H,am,  .he 

Z£ir:vL:^^   ""^ 

etc.  .   .       .     i,„,.;,v,  nrivato  iiroiievty  have 

c«mP  of  the  ra  ssionanes  h;i\u\^  i>ri%au       i  ^ 

^r™.  '  fhCr  o«.n  e,,ense,  and  do  n„,  .a.c  an>.,hn,g 
from  the  Mission  funds. 

The  year  1894,  in  which  the  first  editior,  of  .1  R^tn.M 
The  year  1094,  ..rcction  of  largo  and  corn- 

appeared.  --.-^^;''^',n':;:rthe  M.Mon,  and  early 
n^odious  prem.es  for  th     ork  ot  ^^^^^^ 


128 


A  KKTROSrECT 


were  vacaicd,  and  Nf.wincton  (Irf.kn,  London,  X.,  be- 
came the  address  of  the  Mission  offices  and  home. 

From  that  date  until  the  Boxer  outbreak  of  1900  the 
Mission  made  steady  progress,  but  during  that  terrible  year, 
when  no  fewer  than  135  missionaries  and  53  missionaries' 
children  and  many  thousands  of  Chinese  Christians  were 
cruelly  murdered,  the  China  Inland  Mission  lost  58  mis- 
sionaries and  21  missionaries' children. ' 

In  the  overruling  providence  of  Ood  all  these  things 
have  been  made  to  fall  out  rather  for  the  furtherance  of 
the  Gospel,  and  on  all  hands  in  China  there  are  oppor- 
tunities for  Christian  work  as  never  before.  A  brief  com- 
parison of  the  China  Inkxnd  Mission  statistics  of  January 
I  St,  1900,  before  the  Bo.xer  outbreak,  and  January  1906 


will  reveal  the  progress  made. 

Jan.  I,  1900.      Jan.  i,  1906. 

C. I. M.  Missionaries  (including  wives)  Si  I  827 

Stations   I7«  205 

Out-station»   223  ().?2 

Chapels   3^7  S27 

Paid  native  helpers    ....  581  888 

Unpaid  native  helperii       .       .       .  193  394 

Communicants  in  fellowship       .       .  8,557  I4>078 

Haptized  from  commencement    .       .  12,964  21,648 

Organised  churches    ....  266  476 

Boarding-school  scholars    .       .      .  788  1,166 

Day-school  scholars    ....  1,382  I1831 

Hospitals   6  7 

Dispensaries       .....  l8  37 

Opium  refuges   4^  'oi 


DEATH  OF  THE  REV.  J.  HUDSON  TAYLOR 

Since  the  earlier  editions  of  tliis  book  were  issued  Mr. 
Hudson  Taylor,  its  author,  has  been  called  home  to  his 
reward.    No  close  to  Iiis  earthly  ministry  could  have  been 

'  Fur  details  see  M.ir'yred  Missio'iarir^  ef  the  China  Inland  Afission 
and  Lnst  Utters,  both  published  by  the  China  Inland  Mission  at  $i.oo. 


TllK   MISSION   IN  1906 


'29 


more  fining  fnan  that  M  C.ou  :,ra.Uecl  hnn     U  u  e 
nayin.  what  he  had  anticipated  wculd  be  a  bnef  vis.t  o 
ihe  land  of  his  adoption  and  service,  he  was  suddenly 
taken  to  be  with  the  Lor.,  from  Chang-sha,  the  rnp.tal  o 
Hu-nan    Thus  (lot.  granted  him  to  see  the  ia^l  stron;;hold 
of  ChiiK-c  opposition  and  conse.v..lis.n  opened  to  the 
Gospel  before  he  was  taken  away.    His  prayers  were 
answered.    There  only  remained  that  he  should  depart  to 
be  "  with  Christ,"  which  was  "  far  better."  1 

Current  iuformation  about  the  progress  of  the  work  in 
China  may  be  obtained  from  M>as  Millions,  the  organ 
of  the  Mission.  It  is  published  monthly  and  may  be 
ordered  through  any  bookseller  from  Messrs.  Morgan  and 
Scott  12  Paternoster  Buildings,  E.C.,  for  is.  per  year,  or 
direci  by  post  from  the  offices  of  the  Mission,  Newmgton 
Green,  I^ndon,  N.,  for  is.  6d.  per  annum. 

The  \ustralasian  edition  of  China's  Millions  may  be 
ordered  at  the  same  price  from  M.  L.  Hutchinson,  Little 
Collins  Street,  or  from  the  Mission  Offices,  267  Co  hns 
Street,  Melbourne.  The  North  American  edition  will  be 
sent  post  free  froni  the  Mission  Offices,  507  Church  Street, 
Toronto,  for  50  cents  per  annum. 

Prayer  meetings  on  behalf  of  tiie  work  m  Chma  are 
held  at  the  principal  home  centres  of  the  Mission, 
follows  •  Every  Saturday  afternoon  from  4  to  6  o'clock  r.c 
Newington  Green,  London.  Every  Friday  evoiaug  at 
8  o'clock  at  50-  Church  Street,  Toronto.  Every  Saturday 
afternoon  at  4  ^  clock  in  the  Office,  267  Collins  Street, 
Melbourne.  A  hearty  invitation  to  attend  any  one  of  these 
meetings  is  given  to  any  one  residing  in  or  visiting  any  of 
these  cities. 

>  See  hi  Mauonam.  ./.  Hudson  Taylor.    50  cents.     Published  by 
China  \\\\m\&  Missiui.  m\A  N!org;m  and  Scott. 

K 


j,o  A  RETROSPECT 

Donr^lions  to  iho  Mission,  applications  from  candidates 
orders  for  literaliirc,  requests  for  deputation  speakers,  and 
other  correspondence  should  be  forwarded  to 
The  Secretary, 

China  Inland  Mission, 

Newington  Circcn,  London,  N. 
The  Home  Director, 

China  Inland  Mission, 
235   School  Lane,   Germantown,  Philadelphia, 

U.S.A. 

or         507  Church  Street,  Toronto,  Canada, 
or  to     The  Secretary, 

China  Inland  Mission, 

267  Collins  Street  Melbourne,  Australia. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


THE  MISSION  IN  NORTH  AMERICA 

In  the  mil  of  the  year  ..S87,  Mr.  Henry  W.  Frost,  y,'ho 
.as  then  Uvmg  in  Att.ca.  in  western  New  York  went  to 
London,  England,  with  the  purpose  of  nwit.ng  Mr.  laylor 
to  visit  America.    The  invitation  which  was  thus  given, 
was  seconded,  later,  by  Dr.  Erdnian  asking  Mr.  laylor 
to  speak,  during  the  following  summer,  at  the  Niagara 
Conference,  and  by  Mr.  Moody  asking  him  to  speak  at 
the  Northfield  Convention.    Mr.  Frost,  in  the  course  of 
his  personal  interviews  with  Mr.  Taylor,  requested  him 
besides  coming  to  America,  to  establish  there  a  bratich  of 
the  China  Inland  Mission.    This  last  request  Mr.  Taylor 
carefully  considered,  but  finally  decided  not  to  accede  to, 
thinking  that  it  was  not  desirable  to  enlarge  the  home 
sphere  of  the  Mission.    However,  he  determined  to  accept 
of  the  hwitations  given  him  to  visit  America,  and  to  address 
the  Conferences  mentioned.    Accordingly,  m  July  1888, 
he  came  to  New  York  City,  bringing  with  him,  to  assist 
him  in  his  service,  his  son,  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  F.  Howard 
Taylor    and  also  bis  friends,   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Regmald 
Radclitfe     This  party  of  visitors  went  first  to  Northfield, 
and  later,  to  Niagara.    At  each  place  Mr.  Taylor  gave 
missionary  addresses,  and  hi-   words  were    marked  by 
unusual  spiritual  power.    Ihere  was  no  visible  result, 

131 


,,2  A  RETROSl'ECT 

however,  of  his  witnessins,'.    But  alter  he  had  left  the 
Conference  at  Niagara,  his  vv..ias  were  stippL  nicntcd  I.y 
missiona.y  addresses  Kivcn  I.y  Mr.  Reginald  R:uM,He  and 
Mr.    Robert   Wilder,   and   the   cffe.  t   of   lliis  .  onibincd 
testimony  was  to  produce  a  spontaneous  movement  of 
pledging  and  giving  money,  till  enough  had  been  pr.n  ided 
to  support  eight  n^iv,ionaries  m  inland  Ci.iiia.     The  fund, 
thus  furnished  were   designated  for   the  China  Inland 
Mission,  and  it  was  re.iuestcd  that  they  should  be  used, 
if  possible,  for  workers  from  North  America.    Thus  there 
was  forced  upon  Mr.  Taylor  the  project  of  which,  m 
London,  he  had  felt  imablc  to  aj. prove,  and  so  it  was  that 
he  was  constrained  to  conclude  that        designed  to  have 
the  China  Inland  Mission  represented  in  North  America. 
The  guidance  of  the  Lord  in  this  direction  was  made  even 
more'  sure,  a  month  later,  when  Mr.  Taylor  visited  the 
second  Conference  at  Northfield,  and  still  later,  as  he  held 
meetings  in  various  cities  in  the  States  and  Canada.  Having 
funds  on  hand  to  support  North  American  workers  in 
China,  he  appealed,  in  the  meetings  held,  for  young  men 
and  women  to  go  forth  with  him  to  China,  and  his  appeals 
met  with  a  ready  and  full  response.    15y  the  time  that 
Mr   Taylor  was  prepared  to  start  for  Vancouver  and 
Shanghai,  in  the  month  of  September,  18S8,  some  forty- 
two  young  people  had  offered  themselves  as  candidates  to 
ihe  Mission.  Of  this  number  Mr.  Taylor  accepted  fourteen, 
whom  he  took  with  him  as  America's  first  gift,  in  connection 
with  the  China  In.and  Mission,  to  the  needy  millions  of 
China.    The  consideration  of  the  cases  of  the  remammg 
candidates  was  delegated  by  Mr.  Taylor,  on  his  departure, 
to  Mr  Sandham  at  I'orunto  and  to  Mr.  I'rost  at  Attica. 

In  the  following  year,  1889,  Mr.  Taylor,  having  returned 
from  China  to  England,  paid  a  second  visit  to  America, 
coming  again  in  the  summer  season,  and  speaking  once 


Tlir.  MISSKJN   IN   NOKTli   AMl.KU  A  13.? 

more  at  the  Norllili.  ia  and  Nia:^ar,.  CnufcrciK  ts,  ami  atlcr- 
uar.ls.  in  a  minil.cr  of  American  and  Canadian  cities.  At 
the  close  of  tliis  visit,  being  now  fully  convinced  that  the 
LoRi>  would  have  the  Mission  represented  on  this  continent, 
he  nude  permanent  arrangements  for  this  by  ai>pi)inting  a 
((.uncil  for  North  America,  and  by  asking  Mr.  Frost  to 
act  as  the  Secretary  Trea- urer  of  the  Mission,  and  to 
remove  from  Attica  to  Toronto.    These  last  arrangements 
were  eventually  entered  upon,  and  the  work  of  the  Mission 
in  North  America,  from  that  time,  assumed  a  permanently 
or^'anised  form.     The  head-iuarter^  of  the  Mission  wore 
thus  c.tahlislied  in  Toronto.    The  first  Mission  Home 
was  located  at  .^o  Shuter  Street,  and  the  office  m  the 
Christian  Institute  I'.uildini:,  on   Richmond  Street.  lUii 
while  these  accommodations  weic  satisfactory  for  a  he- 
ginnin-,  Uiey  soon  proved  to  be  inadetH'ate  for  the  growing 
work.  ^  Thus,  in  1891,  a  large-sized  house,  situated  at  the 
corner  of  Church  and  Charles  Streets,  was  rented,  in  whu  h 
the  Home  and  offices  were  combined.     Here  the  work  of 
the  Mission  was  carried  on  for  about  eight  years,  until  the 
tall  of  the  year  1899.    In  that  year,  earnest  prayer  having 
been  made  for  a  larger  and  a  permanent  residence,  a  gift 
of  about  five  thousand  dollars  was  received  from  Mr. 
Taylor,  to  whom  the  money  had  come  as  a  legacy  from 
his  old  friend  and  co  labourer  Mr.  Bergcr,  and  this  gift  was 
generously  designated  for  the  purchase  of  a  permanent 
Mission    Home.     This    donation,   togelhcr   with  other 
specially  designated  funds,  enabled  the  Mission  to  secure 
the  present  commodious  premises  in  'loronto,  combining 
Home  and  offices,  located  at  the  corner  of  Church  and 
Wellesley  Streets.    The  work  of  the  Mission  had,  by  this 
time,  so  far  enlarged  that   other  helpers  had  become, 
necessary.     Accordingly,  in  1893,  Mr.  Frost  was  appointed 
the  Director  of  the  Mission  for  North  America,  and  sub- 


A  RKTROSPKCT 

scHiuently  Mr.  Joshua  S.  Htlmcr,  of  I^kport,  New  York, 
who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Council  from  its  fornialion, 

was  appointed  the  Scciviary  'I'lciMiicr.  .\l  tliis  tiiiio  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  liost  removed  into  a  more  private  home,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hehuer  took  their  places  in  the  Mission 
Home.  Tiiese  las  '  ^ciuls  have  remained  since,  in  the 
active  serviee  of  luc  Mission,  to  the  continual  blessing 
of  it. 

'i'lic  work  of  the  Mission,  by  this  lime,  liad  so  enlarged, 
that  it  became  manifest  that  a  centre  in  the  United  States, 
in  addition  to  the  centre  already  established  in  Canada, 
would    ullirnatcly  he  rcqniied.     Once  again,  theref(jre, 
prayer  was  resorted  to.  that  guidance  might  be  given  in 
undertaking  this  new  development.    The  answer  came  in 
the  year  1900,  through  a  gentleman  friend,  who  offered  to 
jire.sent  to  the  Mission  a  large  and  atirarti\e  house  in 
Norristown,  IVnnsylvania,  a  town  near  l'hiladeli)hia  ;  tiie 
thought  being  that  this  might  be  used  as  a  Mission  Home, 
while  the  offices  might  be  located  in  Philadelphia.  This 
kind  offer  was  gratefully  accepted.    The  house  was  soon 
afterwards  pun  hased  by  the  donor  and  was  i)laccd  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Mission,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  l-'rost  removed 
from  Toronto  to  occujjy  it,  and  to  develop  the  work  of  the 
Mission  at  the  new  centre  thus  formed.     This  generous 
gift  of  an  e.-lslern  Home  made  ])ossil)ltj  all  ihe  development 
in  and  about  Philadelphia  which  subsequently  took  place. 
.\fter  sonic  experience,  however,  it  was  found  that  Norris- 
town was  too  far  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  be  a 
serviceable  centre  for  the  Missitjn,  and  thus,  in  1903, 
Mr.  Frost  gave  up  the  Mission  Home  in  that  town  in 
order  to  remove  to  (iermantown,  a  suburb  of  Thiladelphia, 
since  that  place  was  much  larger,  was  nearer  the  heart  of 
Philadelphia,  and  had  within  it  many  friends  of  the  Mission. 
This  change  proved  to  be  advantageous,  for  new  blessing 


THE  MISSION  IN  NORTH  AMl-lUICA  '35 

to  the  work  immediately  resulted.     Moro.v.r.  in  a  liule 
„vcr  a  year's  ti.no,  in  1904,  l^o  fric.uls  unilol  m  [.resent- 
ing to  ll.e  Mission  a  new  Home,  located  in  C.crmantoun, 
even  larger  and  more  serviceable  for  the  work  than  the 
one  in  Norristown  ha.l  be.  n.    Tliis  Hotuo,  which  is  now 
occupied,  is  located  on  S.l.ool  I.ane,  not  far  from  the 
Chelton  Avenue  Station  of  the   Pennsylvania  railroad. 
Thus  Germantown  has  become  the  permanent  eastern 
centre  of  the  Mission.    'I'he  oilV...,  wim  !>  h.ad  W-.n  .n 
the  WithersiKKjn  Buildin:^,  I'hiladclphia,  were  now  removed 
to  this  centre,  in  order  that  the  work  of  the  Mission  might 
be  concentrated  and  more  easily  managed.    An  eastern 
Council  was  afterwards  formed,  and  still  later,  Mr.  I  rederick 
H  Neale,  who  had  laboured  for  ei;^ht  years  m  the  oti.ces 
at  Shaniihai,  was  appointed  to  art  as  Secretary     Now,  the 
uvo  centres  at  Toronto  and  Philadelphia  combuie  in  caring 
for  the  interests  of  the  Mission  on  the  North  American 
Continent. 

In  the  development  of  the  work  of  the  Mission  in 
.\,mrira,  much  valuable  aid  has  been  given  by  missionaries 
from  China,  and  particularly  by  British  missionaries  who 
kindly  consented  to  take  their  furlough  in  America.  Mr. 
Taylor,  himself,  visited  .\u-..-iea  six  times,  and  h^s  presence 
.nd  te^limonv  ureally  helped  in  the  develupmen-  of  the 
work.    In  addition  to  -Mr.  Taylor,  and  others,  the  follow- 
ing persons  from  Britain  have  visited  and  assisted  us :  the 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  A.  Steven,  the  Rev.  John  McCarthy, 
Mrs  Grace  Stott,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  V.  Howard  laylor 
Through  the  testimony  of  these  friends,  as  well  as  through 
that  of  a  number  of  North  American  missionaries  who  were 
at  home  on  furlough,  the  claims  of  CMuna  have  been 
brought  home  forcefully,  from  time  to  time,  to  many 
people,  and  thus  devoted  friendi  have  been  ra.       up  to 
pray  for  and  to  minister  to  the  Mission.    Also,  as  a  result. 


136  A  RETROSPECT 

not  a  lew  youny  men  aiul  women  have  Ix-'cn  ted  to  offer 
themselves  for   service   in   inland  China.     A  formally 

organised  I'lMviiig  constituency,  rallcil  ti.c  China  Inland 
Mi-sicin   ria\Li   Union,  was  L•stal)li^lK•(^  in   1S93,  which 
now  numbers  about  two  tliou:,aud       uil;  fricn.ls.  Early 
in  the  history  of  the  work  on  this  continent  a  separate 
edition  of  the  monthly  paper.  C/ii/ut's  MUlioin,  was  com- 
menced, and  its  cin  ulation  is  now  a  c on-ideralj'.L'  one. 
Much  literature,  also,  has  been  printed,  or  iniptjrteil  tVoiu 
England,  and  sold.    More  recently,  an  advance  movement 
has  been  inaugurated,  in  the  occupation  of  sub-centres. 
London,  Ontario,  w.is  chosen  as  the  first  of  these  ;  and 
this  is  occupied  by  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  F.  A.  Steven.  By 
all  these  means,  and  particularly  by  the  long -continued 
and  valuable  deputation  work  of  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Steven,  Mr. 
M'Carthy,  Mrs.  Stott,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  'l  a) lor,  the  woik 
of  the  Mission  has  become  widely  known  and  deepl\ 
valued,  so  that  its  foundations  in  North  .America  are,  at 
last,  securely  and  broadly  laid.    Dm  ing  all  these  years  of 
preparation,  (loD  has  continu  ally  and  wonderfully  answered 
prayer  for  funds.    While  tlieu   have  been  many  times  of 
testing,  it  has  been  once  more  demonstrated  that  it  is  not 
a  vain  thing  to  wait  upon  the  living  and  loving  Gor>  foi 
temporal  supplies,  and  to  trust  in  Him  for  these.  Since 
the  establishment  of  the  Mission  in  Nortli  .Xnieiita,  that 
is,  from   1SS8  to  1906,  a  sum  total,  for  all  puri)Oses, 
general  and  special,  of  over  haif  a  million  of  dollars,  has 
passed,  in  trust,  through  the  hands  of  its  officials ;  and  in 
addition,  real  estate  valued  at  about  forty  thousand  dollars 
has  been  given  for  MisMon  purj  -se 

While  the  blessing  of  (iuo  upon  the  home  work  of  the 
Mission  has  been  large  and  abiding,  it  is  satisfactory  to 
add,  since  the  work  exists  for  the  evangelisation  of  the 
inland  provinces  of  China,  that  a  like  blessing  has  been 


TIIK  MISSU)N  IN  NOKTII  AMI  KKA  137 

realised  abroad.  In  annwci  to  i  Luti,  a  .icvok.l  Imiul  ..t 
men  iindwoiiun  ha-.  1  cm  lai^d  up  to  s.ivc  llic  l.cui.aml 

Mi.Mon  m  I  !         liie  nicirUus  ol  win-  1,  have  showed 

their  abilii)  to  knm  the  Chhiesc  lanj-uage,  their  iK)Wcr  to 
n.ljiist  thcinsilvcs  to  the  ]»eculiar  <  ,mili;ioiis  of  life  in 
Ciiina,  'heir  steadfastness  in  tndinin-  the  ^trnii  of  • 
lo.inc.l   ^eivio;.   their  <  apa-  ily  of   (U-alin-    l.nini;;y  and 
patienllv  with  a  pe.  uhar  people,  ami  llieir  wiUini-ncss  to 
sacrifu-.-,  and  even  to  sitncr,  in  seeking  to  leail  llie  (  iunesc 
to  Christ.     Ill  the  process  of  thi>  su\irr,  the  Cospel  has 
been  prea.  iieil  hy  tlu^e  missionaries  to  thousands  .)t  the 
Chinese  wlio  liad  never  before  laanl  tl  .  ,     e  of  Christ, 
hundreds  of  whom  have  been  saved,  an.:  ..rorcs  of  whom 
have  been  led  by  the  Spirit  i;  to  holy  living  and  into 
fruitful  serxire.     Thus  the  North  Anariran  workers  have 
helped  to  open  provinces,  to  establish  stations,  to  organise 
cluir(  lies,  and  to  train  a  native  ministry.    At  present  ilicrc 
are  connected  with  the  North  American  part  of  the  Mission 
107  missionaries.    Three  of  these  are  lahoiiriii-  in  con 
nection  with  the  home  work,  while  the  remainder  are  in 
active  missionary  service,    'i  he^e  last  occupy  57  stations, 
widely  distributed  in  13  out  of  the  18  provinces  of  the 
Empire.    Besides  this  force  of  foreign  workers,  the  Xortli 
American  funds  support  a  contingent  of  native  woikers, 
pastors,  evangelists,  and  liible- women,  numbering  about 
125.    These  native  workers,  as  well  as  the  missionary 
force,  are  a  valuable  gift  to  China,  and  one  for  which  the 
Mission  is  deeply  grateful  to  ('.<>i>. 

'I'he  element  of  prayer  is  a  prominent  leaiure  of  the 
Mission  in  North  .\meri<  i,  as  it  is  throughout  the  other 
parts  of  the  work,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it  may  become 
more  so,  in  the  increase  of  I'rayer  Union  members,  and  of 
Prayer  Union  centres.  As  to  tiiese  centres,  there  arc  now 
some  twenty-five  organised  Trayer  Union  meetings,  some 


138  A  RETROSPECT 

in  the  States  and  some  in  Canada,  where  the  needs  of  the 
Mission  are  regularly  and  frciiucntly  rcnicnilicred.  Besides 
these,  there  are  weekly  i)iil)lic  niectini;s,  for  prayer  and 
praise,  held  in  li.e  two  Mis,iun  centres,  in  C.ermantown 
and  in  Toroi.to,  and  in  the  one  sub-centre,  in  London 
(Ont.),  and  also,  more  private  daily  meetin;4S  in  the 
Homes,  at  these  centres,  li  is  believed  that  this  spirit  of 
pniyer  is  the  \\\.\\  force  and  power  of  the  Mission,  the 
means  oi"  its  n^auUenance,  and  the  hope  of  its  continuance 
and  development.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  therefore, 
that  prayer  is  tlie  greatest  need  of  the  work.  For  this 
more  than  for  all  else,  the  Missioti  pleads. 


the 

ides 
and 
own 
idon 

the 
t  of 

the 
mce 
fore, 

this 


St: 


•7 

I 


< 

Z 


0, 

< 


:  "5  »,  o 

fill  J 


STATIONS  OF  THE  CHINA  INLAND  MISSION 

1905 


Provinces.' 
Kan-mh,  1S76. 


Arfj,^  125.45'^  wy/.'.f  r  "// ' 
roptdation,  10,385,376. 


Slicn-si,  1.S70 


Stations. - 
LANCIIOW 

Si-NiN'; 
I,i.\M;-tiio\v 
t^in-ciiow  . 

( 'iiix-mm;  . 

riNC.-l.l.VNi; 
thtii-ytian  . 

ClUM'.-tllOV. 

II  \\-(  mi  ni; 

Clun^Uu  . 
Si  li-'.nii; 
\  ;int;-li-'it  n  . 

HstNC.AN 

Mfi-liMiLii 

SIAN 

Lanlicn 

/  ui!i;-(hii(fiti 

Viii^-kia-tii-! 

C/ieii-h'a-'vti 


'  Air.m^ed  ull  lli'  I'Kiyi  i 
in  many  caM's  are  lA  v  .lui:  i :  i 

t  C'.ipilals  of  I'mviin  in  i . 
Counties  in  roniatis;  Market  1 

"  Areas  and  populations  nre 


I  ,1,  ^lartinKfrolnlll<:  N.W.  ThcUirt 

;     i  "  ^  nil. 

,j  it.i!  i  iiiT^;  L-f  I'lcftcturo 
i)»ns  in  iialiis. 

from  tlu  .Statesutati s  }  car  hmf'.,  lys 

«39 


Wi.KK 
I'.l 

.  iss.s 

.  r-'-s 

!S<)9 

I  Si  15 

.  i.^"7 
.    I  Si)'.) 

.  IS7 ) 
.  ISS7 

.  1S98 
.  1898 

.  1893 

iSi)3 

.  1903 
1900 

ill  this  cultiiiin 
sniall  ca^.l!> ;  awS  of 


t40  STATIONS  OF  THE 

riovinces.                    Stations.  r.j.'.Ls 

Shen-si— iV«/(«//ti/.             llsing-ping   1893 

Saiij^-kia-ckiMi!^  ....  1804 
  IQOj 

Li-chuan   1903 

Lung-chow   1893 

Kit-Ti-yan!;   1897 

r,aii-s!uii   1S97 

TuNC-ciiuw       ....  1S91 

llan-clieng   1S97 

ll(vyaiii.'   I'm 


Shan-si,  1^70  .      .       •    I'cng-chen   1902 

Kwci-hua-chciig  ....  1904 

Sa-!a-ts'i   1903 

T.VTUNc    .       .       .       .       ■  1886 

Soii-riN'",   1S95 

Ilun-yuan   'S9S 

Ying-chow  .       .       .       •       •  1897 

Tso-yvin   1895 

I'ing-ya<   1888 

Chieli-lisiu   .       .       .       .       .  1891 

Hsiao-yi   1S87 

lluo-chow   .....  1 880 

Sicliow                                     .  1S85 

Ta-iiiiii;       .....  I>S85 

Aiea.  hx.'f'lo  fiitarc  miles.     Chi  chnw  

io/'uld/ion,  12,200,436.        Ho-tsin   1S93 

Chaoclieng   1901 

Ilung-Uin;,'   1SS6 

Yoliyang    .....  1S96 

I'lNC-YANt   1879 

Cliii-wu   1885 

Kiang-chow   1898 

Yi-chcng   "897 

Yi-shi   1891 

Ytiii-c/ieng   1 888 

I  lai-cliow   I S95 

I'u-Cliow   1903 

Lu-AN   1889 

Lu-cheng   1889 

YU-vm             ....  1896 


CHINA  INLAND  MISSION 


Provinces. 

Chih-ii,  1SS7  . 

.  ln;i,  I  I5,Soo  '  /i'.ii  r  mi! 

l'opulali  ',1.  20,y 37. OIK). 

Shan-tong:,  1879  . 


Area,  55,970  upiaie  mi!c 
PopnliUion,  38,247,900. 


Stations. 

TiEN-TSIN  . 

I  IsT'.\N-iir  \ 
lliiiiiluh 
Slll'N-TKIl  . 

ChfiW. 

„     H().-j)ital  . 

,,     Literary  \Vi  rk  . 

,,  Sana'Diiiiui 

,,     Boys'  Sclioul 

„     Girls'  School 

,,     Prt'paralory  Sclwul 

NiiiLT-liai 


Ho-nan.  1S75 


Ana,  67,940  s:]uare  miks. 
PopulalioH,  35,316,800. 


Kiang-su,  1S54 


Ana,  3S.600  s,;iiii'e  miles. 
Population,  13,980,235. 


CliJii-ihia-hou 
Ycn-chenj;  . 
Si-hwa 
Fu-kou 
CiiKN'-(-  now 
Tai-kanj; 
KAI-1KN(; 
1  Isiang-clicn,;; 
Shite- ki- tie  It  . 
Clliilg-tze-t.ru 
K'.iang-cluiw 
\'iini;-nii)g  . 
Sin-an  . 

HO-NAN 


Sllang'•^i  '854 

,,       "-inanrial  DfimrtnK'iU 
„      liusinoss  l)ci)artiiient 
„       Postal  Department 
Mis>i<>n  Home 
lio-iiital 
SiMn.i'hiavian  :'iil(>rs'  Woik 

CUIN-KIANG  .         ■         .  1SS9 

Yanc.-ciiow       ....  186S 

Traiiiiiii;  '  loinc 

Kao-yu        .....  1889 

Tsing-kiang-pu    ....  iSoo 

An-tung   i!^9J 


MI 

Work 
liECUN. 
IS8S 
1902 
1887 

iS8<S 

1879 


iSSo 
1SS4 
1S95 
1886 


1884 

I()02 
1S99 
1903 
1895 
1S95 
1<H)I 
IS92 
IS86 

iS</) 
r^'  > 

,.X3 
IS99 
1902 


'42  STATIONS  OF  THE 

Provinces.  Stotions. 

W.  Si'-chtum,  1S77  .      .  Chung-kinc     ....  1877 

Ki.ing-tsin   .       .       .       .       .  kioj 

Lu-chow   iSyo 

Siao-ski      .....  1899 

.Sin   1888 

Area  of  ivhok  Proz>ime.,        Ku-slitui       .....  1902 

2\i,^^  S'juare  miles,        Ki.\  tim  ;   i888 

Tochicn-lo   1897 

Chiung-cliow       ....  1902 

CIIEN-TU   1881 

Kwan-lisi-jn   1SS9 


E.  S'Nchuan,  1886  .      .  1'.v>mn<.   iS86 

Sin-tieii-tn  .....  1892 

N.an-])ii  ,       .       .       .  1902 

Vin..;-sli;in  .....  1S98 

(.  lui-hsicn  .....  1898 

Sin;N-KiNr;   1896 

Populalion  of  ivho'.e  I'ro-       Kwang-yunn        ....  1889 

vime,  68,724,890.  r.-i-chow   1S87 

lIsij-TiNf;   1S99 

Kai-hsicn  ...       .       .       .  1902 

l,iai\t;-slian   1902 

Wan-hsien   1888 

KWKI-Ki)  .....  1903 


Kwei-chow,  1877   .      .   KW  i;i  N'.wc.    ....  1877 

(Work  among  .\ I lOfigines) 

ClIEN-YC  ....  1904 

Aita,  6t,\(',o  s/iiair  mi!t'<.    .\N-siifN   188S 

Popiilatiou,  7,(150,282.  Tiih-shan   1893 

J\iii.,'-/iai     .....  1897 

TSKN-I   igc2 


Yun-nan,  iS77.  .   YUX-NAN   1S82 

("IIL-IMNG   1889 

Area,  146,680  f(///'7;v    /.'(.'.  I'iiig-i  ......  1004 

Pepnlalion,  12,324,574.        Ta-M   1881 

Bhamo        .....  1875 


CHINA  INLAND  MISSION 


'43 


Provlnoei. 
Hn-peh,  1874  . 

^I/Lii,  70,410  si/uarc  mill 
PoptilaUon,  35,280,685. 


Stations. 

I-CIIAN(; 
SlIIII-NAN 

I  uo-ho-kLO 
Kulitircng 


Kiang-at,  1869 


Area,  69, .^So  ^i;;iair  mi'c. 
Poputalion,  20,532,125. 


Ngan-hwei,  1869 


Ai  ta,  54,810  square  miles. 
Popnlatiottt  23,670,314. 


KlU-KIANO  . 

Ku-Uug 

J't-kii-t'aiii:; . 

iVAN-KANG  . 

Kao-chow  . 
An-ren 
TiinR-hsi.anp;  Ilsien 

Kwci-clii 

I-y.in^;  . 
JIokoH  . 

KWANC-IISIN 

^■u■^.han 
Kan-chow  . 
Loug-suait  . 
Ilsin-fenfj 
Cm-AN 
Yun^-sin 

YUANCUOW 
LiN-KIANG  . 

CItani;-shii  . 

C'lin.iN-CIlANC. 

now  . 
NAN-CllAMi 

N(;AN  KIN 

('I'LTinini^  1  limit 
Clllll-cilow 
Wuhu 

NlNO-KUO  . 

Kwang-te 
Kicn-pin;^ 

H  WEI -CI  low 
Lai-an . 


W.IKK 

lli:<;uN. 

i88g 
I  Si)5 

i}«S7 
190.? 


iSS«) 
1898 

.S87 
iSij^ 
1889 

•903 

1S7S 

I  ^93 
I  Si)( ) 
1 878 
lOOI 

!S()0 

1S77 
1899 
1904 
1899 

I  So  I 
1899 
1903 
1S9S 
1S05 

1903 

I  Soil 

I89S 
i860 

1894 

1S74 

IS90 
IS94 
IS75 
1899 


144     STATIONS  OK  Tllli  (TIIXA  INLAND  MISSION 


Provinca*.  StotioM.  reouK. 

Ngan-hwei — continual.       Liu-an-chow       ....  1890 

C/ii/i:^-pi'/;-':iia/l .  .  ,  .  18S7 
YiNtJ-CIIiiW  ....  iStJJ 

Tai-ho  


Cheh-kiang,  1S57   .      .  Siiao-iisim;      ....  1S66 

I  Isin-ch.iiiL;  .  ...  1870 

IIANCciloW  ....  I8(i6 

Mo-kaiishan        .  .       .  I901 

NiNi;-i'o   1857 

Fenfj-hua     .....  1866 

Ninjjlini      .....  18O8 

Ticiv  ai   1898 

Tai-chow   1867 

Iluang-yen   1896 

l.u-chiao   1900 

Tai  I  liny;   1898 

llsicn-chii    .....  1899 

Area,  36,^170  ■.luayf  mi!,'i.     Wkn-CHOW   1867 

Population,  11,580,692.        Bing-yae   1874 

Chu-chow   1875 

Liint;-ciruan         •        .        .        .  1894 

Cliin-yun   1898 

Ynn-ho   1895 

Sung-yanp;   .....  1896 

Viini^-kaiig  .....  1882 

Ki.\-iii!A   1875 

I.nii'chi       .....  1894 

Vkn-cIiOW   1902 

Tong-lu  .       .       .       .  1901 

Chu-chow  .....  1872 

Chang-shan   1878 


Hu-tUUI,  1875  .        .         .    (-  li-VNcl-TKII  ....  1898 

ClIAXd-SlIA  .  .  .  .1901 
Arta,  83,380  square  miles.  Nan-cliow  .  .  ...  1904 
IHtpulaiioH,  22,169,673.        YuAN  i  iiow       ....  1903 

Paocming  1903 


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4 


CHIN  \  INLANI')  MISSION 


ill  ':  >  It!  I    I  >■ 


\  TAYI-*>U 


LONDO  ' 

PI  T  LAD  ilA 

TORONTO 

MSLBOUltN 

Object.  -  .'iu-  '  111' 
of  Cliln;i    pi  -Ssii,  .  ;ir 
lovi'    f  (  If  !;isr  ai.'i 
pn  ■  "i^rrl  ! 

to  ,1  (.1.  ■ 


:owin.-rti  ac.  jcn.  K 
s5  St  ool  Lane,  Gt  nuitown. 
o07  Church  Street,  Chriiiada. 
267  Ck>Uins  Street. 

Mis>i.  .ii  was  formed  under  a  deep  »enie 
:h  ;  with  an  cariK^l  desire,  constrained  by  the 
1 1   if  Mis  cominj»,  to  obey  His  command  to 
\tur.-.    Its  aim  is,  by  the  hcti.  of  (inn 
4  .- .  iii^;  1- iio\vle>ii;e  of  the  -■■ve  of  (Jou 
r    ,    ,11(1  1...  alis<(l  uoik  ihr-.i       >ut  the  wh 


Cliaractflr.  ii'  ^llssi'■!  I  vaiigelkai,  ;uiil  einUraces  ui. 
all  the  leadMif;     iun:unatiuii     f  Christians. 


for 


i.  1 


2.  T 


the  n.  --.x  ;  .  litoiio- 

a  (1  /v  M  i-ilihiil  caiv. 


unusual  and  peculiar  were 
i;uiiisation.    It  was  deter  .linc 
-       -  ■  •  •  ,1„. 


ir.  SOU 

;  :i!l  w:.. 

Co 
■  :i-ic 

■n.K  ' 


........  lies  for  missionary  labour 

iluiut  resiri.  iion  as  to  denomination,  \n 
vs-,  iu  llic  faiih  in  all  fundamental  trtitli 
.it  out  as  Mis^i-'narics  should  -o  in 
,i  ieir.|ir.'.  il  supplies,  with  the       ■  ii 
.-ion  '  ,  !  not  guarantee  any  incoi  w' 
it,  as  the  Mission  would  not  go  i; 
to  tln'Sf  connected  with  it  as  \ 
lime  inisj!!!  allow. 


ihcr^ 


.akliCe 
•  in.  ling 
ove;  .ml 
.t,  it  -i.uld 
is  sent  in 


pco] 

I  iTs. 


Tl 


Support, 
ings  v{  ill'- 
Goi>  in  pi      ! ,  1 
No  mori'  i^  ca:  lli.in  i 

considered  inc:onsi:,tent  \wth  il 
Gon. 


Mnsion  !-i  supporicd  cntirs  ly  hy  ili 


iv.-  ncc 


le  w 


ork 


U.-it;Uions  >■!  coliccti- Mis  1 
t'lus  ri'c'i  iv-.ii,  j;'  .'J, 
:  priniii'li'  ot  en'  ■ 


ifi.-  will  oiler 
iL-  laid  before 
'"^  aii'iiorisei!. 
ill   t  being 
'.cncc  upoa 


oiit-starion-  ha\ 


ccn  o|"-ned  fi'  ' 

Si    cv  Iht-T 


Progrew. —  io\2  stations  and 
oantpied  either    by  Missionaii.^  or  native  labourer>  ., 
21,648  converts  ha-.  e  been  baptized  :  and  there  are  imw  1 190<  1  I4,07.S 
communicants  in  fellowship. 


Donations  and  Coriespondtncc  to  \)c 
Secretary  at  any  of  above  addreaso~ 


iddressed  to  'b 


'  GHINA'b  MI  L.LI 


i.T.  d  t.  (50  /,.Vi 

5 


,  r  ,t)i>int!, 


WBi. 


